The Best Villages in Tuscany: Why We Love Volterra

As soon as we visited Volterra, we knew we had found one of the best villages in Tuscany. Here's why we love it. 

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Happy times! Exploring the unexpected mini courtyard patio that came with our hotel room in Volterra.

See those happy, happy grins!? That's us, minutes after checking into our Volterra hotel room and discovering we had our own secret terrace. Swoon! We were fresh off the bus but we already knew that Volterra was one of the best villages in Tuscany. 

Tuscany is a region in central Italy. It's famous for its spectacular regional capital city, Florence, as well as having one of the best food scenes in the world. Some of the world's finest olive oil, wine, cheese, cured meats, and pasta are produced here. And much of it is produced in and around small hill top villages which were once mighty fortress cities  - that is, until the Florentines starting throwing their weight around!

With plenty of time and no real travel restrictions, we were spoiled with choice about where to go in Tuscany. We didn't want to spread ourselves too thin and decided to concentrate on just a couple villages. On paper, Volterra checked many of our travel boxes. It was picturesque, affordable, and small enough to explore on foot. And it didn't hurt that Volterra was renowned for its alabaster art. But until we arrived, we hadn't known that we not only made the right choice - we made the perfect choice! Arriving in Volterra was one of those take-your-breath-away moments, giving us absolutely everything we could have ever dreamed of for a sweet Tuscan getaway.

But what exactly about it made us declare Voterra to be one of the best villages in Tuscany? Here are some of the many reasons we fell in love, along with some practical tips for planning your own trip. 

Cuteness and colorful clotheslines make for a great travel base.

It is an undisputed fact that if a Tuscan hill town isn't adorned in clotheslines, it might as well not exist at all. Clotheslines are essential to the formula for Tuscan cuteness and, most happily, Volterra complied and had clotheslines in spades. 

They were the first visible indicator that we weren't just in a beautiful, photo-worthy destination. We were in someone's hometown! A very real community of some 6,000 people live in Volterra's old town and most seem to know each other. The clotheslines were a big part of cozy atmosphere. However, when it came to doing our own laundry, Ryan was dispatched to the laundromat. (You can do your own self-service laundry in Volterra by heading to Lavanderia Azzurra, which is just off the main square at 7 Via Roma. They are open from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm and are located next door to a handy dry cleaners).

Arriving mid-November, we had an above average amount of time for wandering and admiring local domesticity. November 1st marks the start of the tourist off-season in Volterra, the day when many restaurants, attractions, tours, and services either shut down entirely or significantly reduce their hours for several months.

Thankfully, this didn't seriously impact our visit. For a small community, Volterra has a long list of restaurants and activities, even with closures, but there were a couple of things on my 'this would be nice to check out' list that closed only days before we arrived. If I were to do it all over again, instead of planning to visit Tuscany in November,  I'd go during the last two weeks of October. There would still be the quiet feel of having the town to yourself, but with about 25% more options for activities and food. 

While I wish there were a few more open gelato shops, even during the off-season Volterra is still a fantastic base for travelers. In addition to the wonderfully convenient location of the laundromat, the town really has everything a traveler could want, from pharmacies to bookstores, florists to wine shops, a movie theatre, and a Saturday morning farmers market. I can't think of any Tuscan hill town that is smaller or more quiet and still has the same level of amenities and services as Volterra.  In a Venn diagram of romantic hill towns and practical travel amenities, Volterra is right in the middle. 

Phenomenal views at every turn.

Looking down on a red-roofed Tuscan farm, the surrounding vineyards and farmland cloaked with a thick, early morning fog - this is the sight that made me declare "Tuscany has NOT been overrated" to my social media followers. Despite being on nearly every travel bucket list for more than a decade, the region has lost seemingly none of its charm. As a walled, hill top village, Volterra was home to spectacular views from every possible angle. 

The Tuscan hillside, as seen from Volterra, is like a living lexicon of every phrase a good travel writer should avoid at all costs. There were vineyards "nestled" in valleys. It was all the very definition of "picturesque". And given how few people were around, I felt very close to declaring it all a "hidden gem". And it is certainly "off the beaten path".  To get to Volterra, we had to take a bus from Pontedera that climbed up, up, UP the twisting, turning hill. How I managed to keep my stomach together, I'll never know but it certainly added a sense of adventure!

It may sound silly but the breathtaking Volterran views made me feel like we were getting two trips in one -  a chance to explore a charming town ("charming" is another one of those forbidden words!) and an opportunity to see rural Tuscany at the same time. 

Streetscapes to fall in love with.

I'm not sure who Anna and Leonardo are, but based on their taste in name plates, I'm sure we would get along just fine. Their lovely little sign is the perfect example of the sweet, whimsical touches we found at every turn. The residents of Volterra certainly have an eye for design!

Another whimsical touch I loved was the elaborate, dragon encrusted street lamp made of chartreuse yellow glass. I was just obsessed with it! You can find it on the main square - and I dare you not to try and fall in love with it. 

The entire town was like this, little surprises tucked around every corner, filling me with delight with every new alleyway I explored. Volterra has some mighty hills - and some smaller ones too - but there were short, flat streets as well to balance it all out, perfect for walking.

Orange trees and roses: The colors of a Tuscan garden town.

Visiting Tuscany in November is anything but grey and I'm so glad for it! I was worried that, while beautiful, we would feel like we had missed out on the vibrant window boxes and flower gardens that Tuscany is known for. Volterra was awash with blooms, even in the late autumn, and I'm sure in the spring and summer it's even more colorful and bountiful. 

When we walked the perimeter of the old city and had a good view of the rooftops, I was thrilled to see citrus trees in some backyards. The temptation to try to snatch one of these fresh oranges was overwhelming but I wisely restrained myself.

Volterra is unique among Tuscan hill towns in that it has a large, grassy public park. For close to 1,000 years, this parcel of land was Volterra's Acropolis until 1472 when the city fell to Florence. The defensive buildings were destroyed and a large park emerged. 

If you're keen to experience the changing seasons, Volterra is a good place to explore. After being on the road for a long time, in weather of all seasons, we got the perfect dose of autumn sunshine and color. We were also thrilled to watch a local resident throw a ball for their enthusiastic dog, who reminded us of our Oliver.

We passed on paying to visit the nearby archaeological dig and it was only while researching the town to write this very post that I realized that the small signs we saw indicating the presence of a state prison (in English?!?) were not some kind of weird counter-culture project. There is in fact a high security prison next to the park in the former Florentine fortress!  Don't ask me why a "State Prison" sign confused me. It's obvious now that English was used to keep curious travelers (aka ME) away! 

If you visit, note that the Volterra archaeological park closes at 8:00 pm in summer, around dusk the rest of the year. There's a little area that looks like a cross between a beer garden and pop up coffee station in the park that was closed during our visit (and, I suspect, all of the off-season) but looks promising for summertime visitors. 

But speaking of food..... several times a year the Volterra prison invites the public to a one-of-a-kind dining event. Known as the Galeotte Dinner, a gourmet meal is prepared by a famous chef with support from prisoners. The cost ranges from 35-45 Euros and the proceeds support a charitable foundation. The Italian language website has more information and bookings for the Volterra"Dinner in Prison" can be arranged through the tourism board. 

Wondering where to stay in Tuscany? Our favourite Volterra hotel is Hotel La Locanda 

I can't begin to say just how happy we were with Hotel La Locanda. We just loved our sweet Volterra hotel! And I think you will be too! In the off season, we paid just 75 Euros a night for their most basic economy room and they generously upgraded us to a standard room with a bit more space.

The hotel embodies good value. It was clean, cozy, and comfortable and made for a very nice base for our two days in Volterra. Each room looks a little bit different from the last, with patterned bed spreads and old fashioned wall paper adding to the charm.

A door in our bathroom led to a semi-private courtyard, complete with our own patio furniture and flower boxes. We were delighted! THIS is exactly what we wanted from a Tuscan hotel! It's a little bit bed and breakfast and a little bit cloistered apartment all in one.

​One extra special perk we especially enjoyed is that the non-alcoholic contents of the in-room mini fridge are free. YAY! However, if you'd like it stocked with alcoholic options, the staff can arrange it (and you pay accordingly). This took us a while to figure out because there is a mini-bar price list on the desk but further reading of the accompanying literature cleared things up for us (and I chugged a bottle of Fanta in celebration!)

We also enthusiastically enjoyed Hotel La Locanda's breakfast, which includes a good mix of yogurt, local cheese, local sliced meats, fruit, bread, and house made cakes and pies. (If you're from North America and are now picturing a breakfast buffet with moist chocolate cake and gooey apple pie - sorry! Think more along the lines of a tortes and loaves.) But my favourite thing of all was a small sign on the buffet which said that scrambled eggs are available upon request. I inquired and within a few moments the staff delivered a fresh, hot, and unbelievably delicious plate of scrambled eggs just for me. 

We very much appreciated how warm, welcoming, and helpful the staff were. They mapped out the location of different restaurants and reviewed what would be closed during the off-season. They also looked up bus routes for us to confirm the information we had in our notes and very helpfully let us know that we could buy tickets in advance at the tourism office. 
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The hotel's location, at Via Guarnacci 24, is conveniently just at the end of the main drag making it very easy to find. And great pizza is right next door! If you're driving to Volterra, note that non-local cars are not allowed in the old town but there is a large public parking lot just two minutes away from the hotel, just on the other side of the old town walls. 

Volterra is our favourite Tuscan village - and you'll love it too!

We would happily return to Volterra again and again to experience it in all seasons and take in everything it has to offer. If you have time to visit just one Tuscan village, make it Volterra - it was one of the best travel decisions we've ever made.
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