Defensive walls of Volterra, Medieval defensive wall system in Volterra, Italy
The Defensive walls of Volterra are a fortification system that winds for several kilometers around the town, built from local limestone blocks. The structure includes numerous towers and passageways that follow the terrain and span different elevations.
The fortification began in the Etruscan period and expanded over centuries, with the most significant changes occurring between the 13th and 15th centuries. This building phase reflects the town's growing power and its need to defend itself against outside threats.
The gates like Porta dell'Arco and Porta Santa Maria show how people controlled trade and movement, while also marking the town's entrance and identity. These passages are places where you sense how daily life once centered on the boundary between inside and outside.
Walking along the walls offers views of the structure itself and the surrounding Tuscan fields and hills. It helps to wear comfortable shoes since the path is uneven and becomes steep in places.
The limestone used comes from the immediate surroundings and gives the wall a gray-yellow appearance that shifts with the time of day and weather. This natural color is so distinctive that it shapes how you see the town's outline from a distance.
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