Cold Tuscan Stone (26 page)
Authors: David P Wagner
While this story and all its characters are pure fiction, Volterra is a real and thriving Tuscan city which proudly displays its rich history through the museums, churches, and public areas mentioned in this book. I have tried to describe them accurately and in the positive light which they deserve. Volterra is the ideal stop for the traveler who wants to see all the famous periods of Italian history in one place. Etruscan, Roman, Middle Ages, Renaissanceâit has everything.
The
Museo Etrusco Guarnacci
, on the east side of the historic center, boasts the finest and largest collection of Etruscan burial urns in the world, as well as numerous other period artifacts including the haunting sculpture known as the Shadow of the Evening. A short walk away is the
Pinacoteca e Museo Civico,
whose collection includes, among many fine paintings, Rosso Fiorentino's Deposition. Painted in 1521, this huge canvas is considered by many Mannerist scholars as Rosso's most important work. A few hundred meters from the museum is the Roman theater that can be viewed from high on the wall or entered from below. One of the best-preserved Roman ruins of its period, it dates to the first century BC. Volterra's jewel, as with so many Italian cities, is its main square, the
Piazza dei Priori
, the heart of civic life since ancient times. Among the stone buildings on it is the somber city hall, still performing its original function, whose façade always impresses visitors. Just behind the piazza, the city's cathedral sits squeezed between other more mundane buildings, belying its impressive interior and beautiful works of art.
Along with traditional sightseeing, the alabaster around which this book is centered continues to bring tourists to Volterra. It is easy to visit workshops, and carved pieces of the stone are sold in shops everywhere. Visitors will also find artisans who specialize in Etruscan revival jewelry, something that fits easier into suitcases than alabaster.
Of course there's the food, and no discussion of Italian cities can omit cooking. Western Tuscany, like every part of the region, has its culinary specialties including dishes featuring one of my favorite ingredients, wild boar, that can garnish pasta or stand alone as a main course. Set yourself up with a plate of it on a restaurant patio, add a glass of the local Montescudaio wine, and you'll know that the real reason we love visiting Italy may not be the history and art.
I hope this book convinces readers that for anyone coming to Italy, especially if they find themselves in Tuscany, Volterra is not to be missed. And if a bed for the night is needed, they might consider the Hotel San Lino, named for the pope, which really was a convent in a previous life.
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