Visit of Volterra and Montescudaio

From the port of Livorno we move towards Volterra, one of the most important historical Tuscan towns, first great Etruscan ‘metropolis’ then Roman settlement. Approaching Volterra the first thing you notice is its profile crowned by the imposing fortress that rises above the land below. This view shows you how important the city was. People can still visit part of the majestic protective walls built during the 5th to 4th centuries BC, including the well-preserved Porta dell'Arco and Porta Diana, two gates for entering the city. The culmination of our tour is the medieval Piazza dei Priori, flanked by the town hall and the Duomo where we see the famous thirteenth century sculpture of The Deposition and works of Benozzo Gozzoli and Fra Bartolomeo. Our tour concludes with a visit of the Baptistery situated in front of the Duomo. We will continue then to the borgo of Montescudaio and once there you will have time to stroll in the historical center of this pretty borgo which hosts an ancient Benedictine monastery, the Abbey of Santa Maria Assunta, the Oratory of the Santissima Annunziata, and the Church of St. Andrew. But Montescudaio is a “City of Wine”, head of the DOC Montescudaio and is part of  the “Wine Road of the Etruscan Coast”. Then we will conclude our tour with a visit to a local wine cellar where is possible to taste the famous red wine Montescudaio.