Volterra-- it is real

Volterra-- sounds familiar, doesn't it?

It should, if you have read this book, or seen the movie, New Moon. You may have been under the impression that Volterra, was just a place made up in the twisted mind of Stephenie Meyer. But oh how wrong you are! Volterra is very real. Tucked away in the Italian hills of Tuscany, sits the dreamy, but very real, town of Volterra. The good news is, you do not have to be a Twilight fan (which I am not) to fully enjoy this beautiful town. And don't worry, there is no chance of you coming in contact with any suicidal Edwards or Bellas, or sadistic Volturi while visiting this town, either. Just friendly Italians! 

We took a day to drive through Tuscany to Volterra and found the town to be utterly delightful! It was not very crowded or touristy at all, and the look of the city is different from other Italian towns we have been to. The town has a warm, rustic feel, with cobbled brick buildings, uneven hilly roads, and of course, plenty of Tuscan charm.

The Palazzo dei Priori, Volterra's City Hall claims to be the oldest of any of the Tuscan city states. It's appearance clearly inspired the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

The fam strolling the streets of Volterra.

Beautiful Volterra

Dal thoroughly enjoying his strawberry gelato.

Travis and Dad goofing off in a Medieval reproduction store.

Where we enjoyed the best pizza of the trip. SO GOOD!

This is the Porta All'Arco, or "Etruscan Arch", Volterra's most famous sight. It is the only surviving arch from the Etruscan age. It is built from volcanic tuff stones. The three very eroded heads, sticking out of the arch date from the 1st century B.C.!

This is the Medici Fortress. It was once a symbol of Florentine dominance, when Florence eventually took over the once-independent city-state of Volterra. However, the fortress now serves as a maximum security prison to 60 "special" prisoners, aka: Mafia.

Now if you do happen to be a loyal member of "Team Edward", never fear. The tourist information office hosts daily Twilight tours, guiding vampire fans through the city, pointing out the sights that were used in the New Moon movie. However you should know that most of the "Volterra" scenes were actually filmed in the town of Montepulciano.

Regardless of your affinity towards vampire romances-- as I like to call them, vampances-- Volterra is a town to be enjoyed by all. My family and I had a wonderful day there exploring the city!