Our first scenic drive-

May 3-

The Etruscans are sort of a mysterious ancient people.  Their origin is debated by historians but it is from them that the area of Italy known as Tuscany takes it name. The earliest Etruscan artifacts are dated around 700 B.C but by around the 4th century they were completely assimilated into the Roman culture. Most of what is known about them has been discovered through their tombs.

So far, during our time in Italy we have been intrigued by history that is many hundreds of years old but now we are delving into history thousands of years old!!  Sort of difficult to wrap your mind around...

There were 12 major Etruscan cities in Tuscany- each built high upon a hill for defensive purposes- and today we visited one of the most important cities, Volterra.  It was a great introduction for us to the hill towns of Tuscany but I must give the full story....

This is our first experience of a scenic drive in Italy. Driving in rural areas. With unfamiliar road signs. Unsure of where we are going (me reading the map). On very narrow roads. Very narrow twisting hilly roads. In a manual shift car (Matt has only ever driven an automatic). Let me be clear- very, very narrow, winding, twisting, hilly roads with occasional further narrowing due to recent mudslides. And it is raining.
There was a bit of anxiety... and some car sickness...

But we made it and were all glad for it!
It cured us of many of the anxieties of driving and helped us with the decision to take the Autostrada (straight highway) to any future destinations instead of the backroad scenic drive. HA!

In Volterra, there was a gorgeous view, a great museum, alabaster workshops, a plethora of sites to take in and of course, gelato!

At the Museo Etrusco-
Funerary urns that tell the stories of ancient society
*Interesting fact: women were treated as equals to men

Looks like a copy of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence but this one was built 90 yrs earlier!

Volterra means "land that floats" because of the beautiful clouds that surround it

The Etruscan Arch -
the 3 heads date back to the 1st century

Roman Theatre ruins from 40 B.C

Once Volterra was conquered by the Florentines in 1472,  the Medici built their own fortress-
today it is a maximum security prison