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Volterra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Comune di Volterra
Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Toscana
Province	Pisa (PI)
Mayor	Cesare Bartaloni (since June 2004)

Elevation	531 m
Area	252 km²
Population
- Total (as of December 31, 2004)	11,309
- Density	45/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	43°24′N 10°52′E
Gentilic	Volterrani
Dialing code	0588
Postal code	56048
Frazioni	Saline di Volterra, Villamagna
Patron	St. Justus
- Day	June 5
Location of Volterra in Italy
Website: www.comune.volterra.pi.it

A view of Volterra.

Volterra is a town in the Tuscany region, Italy. The town has a history which dates back to the Etruscan Period. This town was a Neolithic settlement and an important Etruscan center with an original civilization; it became a municipium in the Roman Age. The city was a bishop's residence in the fifth century and its episcopal power was affirmed during the twelfth century. With the decline of the episcopate, Volterra was the subject of the interest of Florence, which defeated Volterra many times though rebellions sometimes took place. When the Florentian Republic fell in 1530, Volterra came under the control of the Medici family. Among the sights to see in Volterra are the Piazza dei Priori, one of Italy’s most beautiful squares, surrounded by impressive 14th-century buildings; the Palazzo dei Priori; the municipal Picture Gallery; the Romanesque Cathedral; the Baptistery; the arched Porta all’arco; the Etruscan acropolis; the Medicean fortress named "Maschio"; the alley called Viale dei Ponti; Via dei Matteotti; the Guarnacci Etruscan Museum, with thousands of funeral urns dating back to the Hellenistic and Archaic periods; the archaeological excavations of the city's Roman amphitheatre; and the tombs in Valle Bona.