Volterra II

It took us about 2 minutes to walk from our convent to the hilltown of Volterra.  Once through the city gates, we enjoyed strolling through the narrow streets.

Our first view of Volterra.

One of the many enticing alleys veering off from a main street.

We explored two museums - the Pinoteca (art museum) and the Etruscan Museum.

The Pinoteca is an art museum in an old palazzo.  It doesn't have a huge collection, but what it has is exquisite.  This is one of many sculptures that I enjoyed.  It was located in the courtyard - almost as an after thought.  It made me think of our grandson, Solomon Soup.

This Etruscan tomb top is unusual because it is in good shape, and because it portrays a husband and wife together.  

Margit and I needed a break from the tourists, and were lucky to find this bar that seemed to be lovely and unpopular.  It was a perfect place to rest between museums.

Everything in Volterra is exquisite - Mary looked down at us as we ate lunch at a sidewalk cafe in a quiet alley.

 One afternoon, Taylor and I walked downhill and outside a different city gate than we normally entered.  We discovered a neighborhood where the people who work in Volterra live.  Nondescript as the neighborhood is compared to the walled city, it was full of hidden gems.

We popped into 4 or 5 churches on the other side of the city gate.  Each one was exquisite in its own quiet way.

This diminutive gem is the Church of St Christopher.

The inside of St Christopher's shows the ravages of time - frescoes in disrepair, but beautiful nonetheless.

Wine tasting on the street.  The bottle on the left has the best - the Brunello from Montalcino - delicious.

There were so many things to see and do in Volterra, but we need to move on to Villa Maddalena in Montisi.  But first, we end our day with a wine tasting.  How perfect.

Volterra I

We left Lucca and drove to Volterra. 

The drive was fine, once we got out of Lucca. This is notable because we picked up the rental car outside the city walls. Non residents are not allowed within the city walls. However, when I told Taylor to follow the gray car onto the roundabout,  he followed a different grey car into the town walls. Well, it's not that easy to get out of Lucca, once you drive in.  It is a maze of very narrow one way streets.  We drove multiple times through the same streets trying to get out, all the time squeezing through streets lined with stone buildings.  Thanks to Taylor's skilled driving, Jamar's navigational skill using Google Maps, and common sense, we finally made it out of Lucca and then enjoyed an easy drive to Volterra.

Volterra is an Etruscan hilltown, completely surrounded by walls.  We had reservations at a former convent, Chiostro delle Monashe, which is outside the city walls.  We all looked forward to a peaceful stay with the nuns. Our convent is a 20 minute walk, uphill, to Volterra.

View from my nun cell.

Taylor and I, and John and Bruce each had a cell on the inside of the convent.  We were all facing the cloisters.  We arrived on a blistering hot day and our rooms were cooking.  We each had one small window.  None of us had air conditioning.

Margit, on the other hand, had a single nun cell facing the country side.  I think her room was the same size as our double rooms, but she had one bed and 4 windows.  Her room was cool, breezy and filled with Tuscan light.  She had the room with a view.

Margit could see Volterra in the distance.

Margit's room with a view.

I have to add, that Margit totally deserved her lovely nun cell.  She had spent several nights in both Rome and in Lucca, in rooms with nonfunctional AC.  She really needed a few good nights of sleep in a little luxury, such as living in a nun cell can be called luxury.

Frescoes in the breakfast room.

Breakfast room.

The cloister, where we ate breakfast, or sipped wine in the evening.

We moved into the nunnery, now it's time to explore Volterra.