Volterra Sightseeing, Italy

Italy-12, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Volterra is a town in the Tuscany region of Italy.
The 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 5th century and its episcopal power was affirmed during the 12th 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.

Main sites in Volterra are (Not in order):

1. Roman Theatre (1st century BC), excavated in the 1950s.
2. Piazza dei Priori, one of Italy's most beautiful squares.
3. Palazzo dei Priori, built in 1246.
4. Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.
5. Medicean Fortress (Maschio), now a penitentiary.
6. Guarnacci Etruscan Museum, with thousands of funeral urns dating back to the Hellenistic and Archaic periods.
7. The Etruscan walls, including the well-preserved Porta dell'Arco (3rd-2dn centuries BC) and Porta Diana gates.