“I had just finished the chapter of New Moon that took place in Italy. I was thinking of naming the town “Volturin” and I knew that it had to be located in Tuscany. Then I found Volterra… I went immediately to the town’s website and saw the square with the clock tower about which I had written, it was there in front of me on my screen! It still gives me the shivers, if I think about it!”
Stephenie Meyer talks about Volterra
Volterra is the town chosen for the movie New Moon – the Twilight saga.
Return to the trail of Edward and Bella exploring the locations of New Moon, enter in the city of the Volturi, the vampire clan which took its name from Volterra, the Etruscan city Velathri…
It is now possibile to spend three days in the ancient town of the Volturi, searching for mystery, adventure and unforgettable emotions. Breath the life of the Medieval city of the vampires, explore the narrow streets of Volterra city center, dine in a old Medieval palace and dream about the most famous modern love story… the love story between a girl and a vampire…
New Moon Tour in Volterra.
The tour will start from Piazza dei Priori in the city center of Volterra, for the presentation of the tour, then, you will have a typical dinner in an ancient palace. After dinner, you will have a walk along the night in the magic and obscure sites of Volterra. On the second day you will walk among the archaeological remains, the funerary urns and the ancient palace of the Volturi and then you will enjoy a blood red aperitif. In the afternoon you will attend a workshop on an alabaster carving. On the third day you will have a visit to the Etruscan hypogeas and at the underground tombs and in the afternoon you will visit the Art Gallery and the Museum of Sacred Art.
Piazza dei Priori
But Volterra is not only famous for New Moon…
Volterra was a notable center of Etruscan origin. You can visit the remains of the Etruscan Porta dell’ Arco and Porta Diana and the walls built with local stones and many hypogeums utilized for the burying the dead people. The name Volterra has an Etruscan origin, the city was called Velathri and it belonged to the Etruscan confederation.
The richness of the Etruscan finds made Volterra the “Mecca” of the Etruscan fans, with the important collection of Etruscan antiquities of the Guarnacci Museum.
Etruscan Guarnacci Museum.
In the museum you will find the collections of the archaeologist Mario Guarnacci, some Neolithic and Eneolithic materials, some tombs of the early Iron Age.
Of great importance are the famous works in “terracotta” called “L’Urna degli sposi”,
the collection of urns in alabaster, the Etruscan pottery, the tomb of the warrior prince of Poggio alle Croci, the renowned “Testa Lorenzini”,
the statue of marble “Kourotrophos Maffei” and the famous bronze statue called “L’ Ombra della sera”.
Virtual tour of the Etruscan Guarnacci Museum
Museums of Volterra.
Besides the Etruscan Museum there is the Civic Art Gallery with a fine collection of works from the Sienese and Florentine Schools. The Museum of Sacred Art has an important collection of reliquary, Sienese sculpture and miniatures.
Last but not least Volterra is famous for the alabaster crafts and also for the surrounding area which is rich in natural beauty. There are organised excursions on foot, on horse back or by bicycle along kilometres of sign posted itineraries enabling visitors to discover unique and beautiful places.
Ecomuseo dell’ Alabastro – Albaster eco-museum.
The eco-museum of the Alabaster, connects various centers of the alabaster extraction processing to the trade of the alabaster. The museum in Volterra is situated inside the Medieval Minucci towers and devotes a section to the manufacturing techniques and another section to the history of the processing of Alabaster from the Etruscans period up to today. Inside the museum you can see two typical Etruscan urns, some sculptures and many contemporary crafts.
Enjoy Dolce Vita 