Typical Tuscany

The hometown of the holiday home Podere Palazzone is Pomarance, a tranquil village in the heart of Tuscany, Italy. It is situa­ted on a hill at an altitude of 370 meters and has about 5,000 inhabi­tants. Authen­tic, relaxed, rural, medieval scenery. This is perhaps the best way to describe Pomarance. The culture of life in Pomarance is based on every-day problems and the rhythm of Tuscany. Therein lies its appeal. Because here you look in vain for souve­nir shops and tourist kitsch. Indeed, our guests are welcome in an authen­tic environ­ment and invited to immerse themsel­ves in the true culture of Tuscany.

Medieval flair in the Centro Storico

In the town center there is the indis­pensable piazza where young and old meet. Here you can see the agricul­tu­ral charac­ter of our village. The conver­sa­ti­ons are all about the rainfall for a good wine harvest or the expec­ted oil content in the olives this season. People argue about the best way to cook tomato sauce and exchange stories about wild boar hunts and sighted wolf tracks. Of course, the day-to-day politics of Italy are also discus­sed, and the coaches of the big football clubs are given tips for their team line-up.

Pomarance’s Centro storico is very ice and has a homely atmosphere due to its narrow streets, arched passa­ge­ways, and many flower­pots on steep stairs. Worth a visit are the Romanes­que church Pieve di S. Giovanni from the 12th century, which rests on an Etruscan tomb, and above all the medieval houses. The ancient city wall and its gates are still clearly visible. Around them, in the 17th and 18th centu­ries, the noble families of Pomarance and the French Count de Larde­rel built impres­sive palazzi, now museums, where you can relive life from that era. Pomarance is tradi­tio­nally divided into four rioni, which meet each Septem­ber in the Palio Storico delle Contrade in histo­ri­cal costu­mes and colourful flag waving. We belong to the blue and yellow Rione Marzocco with its lion repre­sen­ting the former Floren­tine dominance over Pomarance.

Nature as far as the eye can see

Although Pomarance is small in terms of popula­tion, it is one of the largest munici­pa­li­ties in Italy in terms of area. Three large nature parks, numerous rivers, hills over 500 meters high and mountain villa­ges with fewer than 20 inhabi­tants. As a result, large and small wildlife feel at home here, from wild boar to porcu­pine, bees and firef­lies, or birds such as the short-toed eagles, barn owls or hoopoes. Even the wolf has settled here again in recent years.

Everything your heart desires

In Pomarance you can nearly buy every­thing. We still have the tradi­tio­nal vegeta­ble shop, two bakeries with homemade crispy white bread and the best schiac­cia in Tuscany. Tuscan salami is delicious. We recom­mend trying it at Fabiani’s. Some shepherds from the surroun­ding farms offer excel­lent Pecorino. On our neigh­bou­ring farm, essen­ces and perfu­med oils are obtai­ned from organic herbs and fruits. Further­more, the profes­sion of basket weaver is still practi­ced. He prima­rily uses young olive branches. As in most villa­ges of Italy, there is, of course, an ice cream parlour and a pizze­ria (pizza also to take away), while in the surroun­ding area nice rural tratto­rias invite for dinner. Thurs­day is market day in Pomarance, while the every­day items are available at the coop supermarket.

Don’t hesitate asking us

If you are interes­ted in the history of Pomarance, you will find exten­sive infor­ma­tion with us. If you would like to know more about the role of Pomarance in the two-year siege of Volterra by the Roman General Silla, about the rule of the Medici over Pomarance or the influence of the indus­trial revolu­tion on the local economy and society, we will be happy to provide more details.

Living history is no contradiction

The fasci­na­tion of living history — that’s what Volterra, our neigh­bou­ring town with about 10,000 inhabi­tants at an altitude of 530 meters, offers. Although we are not located in its munici­pal area, every Pomaran­cino, indeed perhaps every Tuscan, has taken Volterra to his or her heart. That’s why we, too, are allowed to feel a bit part of Volterra.

To experience history not only from books and museums, but to live in the midst of a histo­ri­cal ambiance — that is what makes Volterra so unique. Every­thing you know from history lessons is here, within a few meters, in its origi­nal state: Etruscan city walls and gates, Etruscan necro­po­li­ses, Roman theatre, and thermal baths. Important sights are the medieval residen­tial towers, the Medici fortress, the churches, and the Renais­sance palazzi. World-famous and a military master­piece of its time is the imposing Etruscan city gate Porta all’Arco. Churches are a dime a dozen here. It is worth visiting at least some of them. Perhaps not so much for single outstan­ding works of art, but rather for their charm and history. The colourful frescoes of the Capella della Croce di Giorno leave no one untouched. In general, Volterra is of great importance for the spread of Catho­li­cism in Italy. Because the first Pope after St. Peter, St. Linus, came from Volterra.

The charm of Tuscany

All this overwhel­ming history is embedded in a cosy, chilled-out atmosphere. Because the amount of visitors is kept within reasonable limits even in the high season. The entire centre of Volterra is a pedestrian zone. There are nice bars, where you can join locals to start the evening with an aperi­tif, perhaps with a spritz or a glass of prosecco. Tradi­tio­nal restau­rants, good pizze­rias and ice cream parlours invite you to linger. The perfect places to observe and comment undis­tur­bed on the activi­ties of the Volter­rans. What’s more, small pubs and taverns serve wine and snacks in under­ground vaulted cellars. The culinary highlight of Volterra is the white truffle, to which a special sagra is dedica­ted in autumn.

On the prome­nade i Ponti, you can stroll in the evening with an endless view of the surroun­ding hills, all the way to Corsica. Here you can enjoy the most beautiful sunsets. Lands­li­des and erosion have sculpted an alien-looking landscape. Just watch the impres­sive balze around the Badia Camal­do­lese.

Centre of culture and alabaster art

Volterra, nomina­ted for the Italian Capital of Culture, has an extra­or­di­na­rily vast cultu­ral program. No wonder, because where­ver you look, you see culture. This leads to a very nice music enter­tain­ment program (Volterra Jazz), theatre, gastro­nomy, and fine arts. In parti­cu­lar, the night-time events are very popular, with all the sights open until early in the morning.

Volterra is famous for its world­wide unique alabas­ter art. Once upon a time, this parti­cu­larly white and shining gemstone, was the prefer­red material for Etruscan urns. Today it is used for fine sculp­tures, some of them very artis­tic. Quite some craft­smen are happy to open their doors to visitors. Opini­ons may differ as to the artis­tic value of the circu­lar instal­la­ti­ons on the hills surroun­ding Volterra of contem­po­rary Italian sculp­tor Staccioli. However, they are defini­tely eye-catchers. Because they do cast interes­t­ing shadows on our beautiful landscape and offer new perspec­ti­ves of our hills.

Don’t hesitate asking us

However, the most amazing spots in Volterra are its somewhat more incon­spi­cuous curio­si­ties, which only reveal themsel­ves to the atten­tive visitor. It is worth taking long explo­ra­tion walks through the town. Disco­ver the ancient house entran­ces, the windows, the terraces, the street­lamps, the archways, and the doorkn­obs. And above all the people who animate Volterra’s alleys with the typical Mediter­ra­nean mix of bustling activity and relaxed dolce vita.

At Podere Palazzone we are members of the Archaeo­lo­gi­cal Associa­tion of Volterra. There­fore, if you’d like some pointers on some of Volterra’s most interes­t­ing spots that aren’t listed in every travel guide, we’re at your service.