Volterra, Tuscany, Italy, Sunday, September 23, 2012

Old Church By Hotel

The breakfast at Hotel Sole was great. This was an Italian pastry and cake bonanza. They also had some small sandwiches of tomato and cheese and meat and cheese. We did not touch those. Homemade Italian cookies filled with jams and chocolate were also there. Carol focused on the homemade donuts stuffed with vanilla custard and nutella chocolate. They were quite good, but I really enjoyed the chocolate cake that was infused with Frangelico. Just heavenly and good enough for seconds, or was it thirds? Unfortunately, we miss breakfast tomorrow as our bus leaves at 0800.
After our great breakfast, we walk back up to town. In the main square, an auto club has opened their small museum and we get to see a few old fiats but mostly vintage motorcycles and Vespa’s. No Harley Davidsons here just Moto Guzzi, Vespa, and a few others.

Palazzo Viti Room

Next we stop at the Palazzo Viti. The Viti family became rich from alabaster in the 1800s and they are still living in the palace today. You can tour 12 rooms of the palace and then stop in the bar below for a included glass of wine. How can we pass that up for 5 Euros? The ticket seller gives us English guides and tells us where to start. The room decorations and pieces are amazing. They have furnishings and artwork from the 1800s and oriental and Indian things as well. One of the Vitis became the Emir of India and brought things home from there. There is a one of a kind lamp made out of something rare that I can’t remember and an oriental fan collection. A lady we believe to be the daughter of the current Viti owners tells us about the lamp.

Palazzo Cellar Bar

In another room the guy who sold us the tickets comes in and tells us about a Popes secret guard uniform on display and then disappears behind a secret door in the wall. Another Viti has been met. As we leave Signora Viti is now selling tickets.
We go downstairs to the cellar bar which is a pretty cool place and sample two good glasses of wine from the region as well as a couple of small antipasto items. We did not know what to expect here and we really enjoyed the whole experience.

St. Lino Church

Walking along the streets we happen upon St. Lino Church and step inside. It is beautiful and we have the place to ourselves. It is probably due to the plain exterior and the fact that Rick Steve’s does not mention it. The church stands on the birthplace of St. Linus who was the first Pope after the Apostle Peter. He was born here in the year 18 which gives this historical place almost 2000 years of history. The ceiling is beautifully painted with pictures of St. Linus, his deeds, and his decapitation by an executioner. The frescoes also portray several saints as well as other works of art and sculptures. It is really quite impressive.

Great Place to Walk

We continue wandering around Volterra finding little hidden niches of history and beauty everywhere. There is an old Roman aqueduct and pool for water that is still flowing. We visit St. Francis Church where the convent dates back to the first half of the 1200s shortly after St. Francis died. The church is nice but the Franciscans were not elaborate but rather choosy with what they displayed. The exception is the attached Chapel of the Cross built in 1315 and decorated with frescoes around 1410.
As we walk up another street we have walked on several times, we notice a small Oratory of St. Christopher. It is one room made of bricks without plaster with a weathered frescoe inside. It is on the corner where two streets converge and walking down the streets is easy to miss. As we return to the main Piazza there is an car show going on. It is quite interesting to see the old fiats and alpha romeos alongside a couple of Ferraris which seem out of place. There is even an old camaro to represent the good old USA.

Pizza and Wine in the Park

It is lunch time now and we stop to order a pizza to go which we eat in a park along with our bottle of red Tuscan wine we bought yesterday. Re-Energized, we head up the street to the Etruscan Museum. It contains artifacts from the Etruscans dating back to 1500 B.C. They were quite an advanced culture especially when we compare them to the Anasazi 2500 years later. The main attractions are the many carved funeral urns depicting the faces of the deceased. It was a nice museum but there was only one or two English descriptions and in our opinion, the price was a bit high for what you see. The audio guides which you can buy should just be included for the 8 Euros they charge.

Step Right Up ladies

To top it off when Carol goes to use the bathroom, it is very modern with two places for you to plant your feet while you squat over the floor. Why go through all the trouble of modern tile and obviously plumbing and then skimp on the bowl. Just do not get it! Not every place can be a winner.
Later we go out for dinner at the same place and we get pesto pasta and tagliatelle con tartufo. We also do something crazy and just get a bottle of water as we need to get up early tomorrow. We hope not to do that again! The food was excellent and the tagliatelle was buttery and we get our first taste of Italian truffles. Molto Bene!
CNC

                                                                                               Expenses
10E- Palazzo Viti entrance
4.50E- Pizza from Ohioja Bar Pizzeria for park bench
16E- Etruscan Museum
23.10E- chingiale pasta, tagliatelle with truffles, salad, water at Osteria del Pace
55E- Hotel Sole

Miles Walked – 6 Miles