Volterra is situated in the province of Pisa and lies between the valley of Era and Cecina. Built on a hilly pliocene ridge 545 metres a.s.l. surrounded by two defensive walls, one Etruscan and the other Medieval, it is one of the most important centres of Tuscany, for its monuments which testify 3,000 years of civilisation and for its traditional craftsmanship in alabaster whose products are one of Italy's leading crafts.
Volterra is prevalently Medieval and yet cherishes abundant evidence of the Etruscan period: the Porta all'Arco (the Etruscan gate) which date from the 4th century B.C., the Acropolis, the defensive walls which are still visible in parts of the town.
The Roman period is attested by the important remains of the Teatro di Vallebona which date back to the Augustan period, the Baths and an enormous rectangular water cistern.
Apart from its monuments, its art and history, Volterra also offers a magnificent view of the gentle undulating hills of the surrounding landscape abruptly interrupted in the West by the Baize (crags).