Rick Steves' 2012 South of Italy & Heart of Italy Tours
  • Home
  • South Of Italy - Overview
  • Day 1 - 2: Rome
    • Day 3 - 4: Tivoli, Gargano Peninsula, Vieste, Adriatic Coast
    • Day 5 - 6: Alberobello and Matera
    • Day 7: Greek Paestum and Positano
    • Day 8: Free Day on the Amalfi Coast
    • Day 9 - 10: Pompeii, Sorrento & Capri
    • Day 11 - 13: Classy, Gritty Naples
  • Heart of Italy - Overview
  • Day 1 - 2 Florence
    • Day 3 - 4: The Italian Riviera : Cinque Terre
    • Day 5: Tuscany - Lucca & Drive to Volterra
    • Day 6: Volterra
    • Day 7 - 9: Ancient Rome and Vatican City

Hill Town of Volterra

Our destination is Volterra. I fell in love with this Hill Town before we even reached its impressive walls. A charming, and welcoming village sitting frozen in time atop the hill looking out over the rich farmland below. 

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The Heart of Tuscany

Day 6: All Day in the Hill Town of Volterra. This morning we met in Palazzo Dei Priori with local expert, Annie Adair, an ex-pat who met, married, and stayed in Volterra. She gave a great tour and educated us on Volterra's traditions and history. After our tour with Annie, we also went and visited an alabaster workshop to watch an artisan craft a piece. We then toured the Guarnacci Etruscan Museum. I teamed up with Jim and Margo for our free time and we wandered the ancient lanes. The three of us visited the museum Pinacoteca, a 14th century palace, filled with many fine paintings including Signorelli's Annunciation and Deposition from the Cross.  For lunch, fellow food fanatic Jim, his wonderful wife Margo, and I had an AMAZING meal at the Ristorante Don Beta on via Matteotti at #39 . We got back together with the rest of the our group later this afternoon to learn about and taste some of the region's famous wines. After the wine tasting it's time to eat again. We enjoyed Ristorante Don Beta so much we invited others from the tour group and went back for dinner. The same waiter was there at dinner and remembered us. He told me how pleased he was that we returned and brought more friends.

Click the "Play" button below for a slideshow.

To Days 7-9
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