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The Buonparenti House
Towers
One of the most evocative corners of Volterra, the two towers, Buonaguidi and
Buonparenti are connected by a brick archway as were the families in marriage. The towers
dominate and strategically command the crossroads , the crux viarum and delimit the main
square .
The Toscano House-Tower
This is a group of towers in Piazza San Michele constructed in 1250 by Giovanni
Toscano,
treasurer to the King of Sardinia, who had a noble dwelling designed for him by Giroldo
from Lugano around the tower in S.Agnolo, as the inscription engraved above the entrance
attests. The building was purchased by the Rapucci family, the Cafferecci and then
Guarnacci who added the 16th century palazzo which descends the Via di Sotto .
The Baldinotti House Tower
The palazzo in Via Turazza is adorned with a series of arches surmounted by stone
cones which served as hinges for the shop doors which opened out onto the street.
Case Torri Buonparenti
Palazzo Inghirami
The palazzo was built for Admiral Jacopo Inghirami in the 17th century by the
architect Gherardo Silvani. Large ledged windows flank the grand ashlar framed entrance
surmounted by a bronze bust, of the great admiral who won the battle at Bona attributed to
Tacca
Palazzo Maffei
The palazzo was built for Monsignor Mario Maffei, Bishop of Cavallion, whose funeral
monument by G.Angelo Montorsoli is collocated in the Cathedral. The building was completed
in 1527 as the inscription on the façade attests. A splendid example of Renaissance
architecture , the palace was purchased by Mario Guarnacci in the 18th century to house
the first Etruscan museum and library.
Vasari has suggested that the palace was adorned with frescoes painted by Daniele
Ricciarelli.
Palazzo Beltrami
The ashlar framed gothic arched windows are the main features of this elegant 16th
century palazzo which once belonged to the Desideri family.
Palazzo Lisci, (today Marchi)
Once the medieval hospital of Santa Maria ,the façade presents two phases of
construction. The lower part in stone with two filled in arches and a marble inscription
bearing the name of the hospital, dates back to the 13th century while the upper half is
18th century. mattoni.
Palazzo Incontri (today Viti)
The warm tones of the sandstone and the large ashlar framed windows enhance this
elegant Renaissance façade attributed to Ammannati.In 1819 a theatre ,designed by the
architect Luigi Campani, was built in the interior courtyard. The theatre was named after
the latin poet Aulus Persius Flaccus from Volterra whose figure is portrayed on the stage
curtain by the 19th century artist Nicolò Contestabile.
Palazzo Minucci-Solaini: the courtyard
Palazzo Minucci (oggi Solaini)
The exquisite symmetry of the Renaissance façade and elegant harmony of the interior
courtyard bequeaths this palace as one of the most splendid in Volterra. Attributed by
local historians as the work of Antonio da San Gallo the Elder, the palazzo houses an
extroadinary collection of local paintings and sculptures. |
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