Volterra | Toscano medieval Tower House

In the historic centre  you will come across many tower-houses, the dwellings of the most important families in the Middle Ages: often square or rectangular, they were built vertically on several floors, reaching a height of over 20 metres. They were built high because the price of land was so expensive that even the rich nobles preferred to develop their dwellings in height.

Near the splendid setting of Piazza dei Priori, you  admire the most characteristic and best preserved.

Casa Torre Toscano: this is a group of towers at the confluence of Via Matteotti and Piazzetta San Michele. It was built in 1250 by Giovanni Toscano, treasurer of King Renzo of Sardinia, as a residence for the magnates of the time (as attested on the inscription above the main door). The building passed through the hands of various owners who added up the present 17th century palace along the Via di Sotto (formerly Via degli Asinari). Open to visitors

Casa Torre Buonparenti: between Via Buonparenti and Via Ricciarelli, this is one of the city’s most characteristic spots. Joined by a high masonry arch connecting with the Angelario fortress, it was the crossroads of Borgo Santa Maria, the starting point of urban expansion in the communal era. The tower-house in Via Ricciarelli, very close to that of the Buonparenti family, belonged to the Bonaguidi family, linked in consortium with the former.

Casa Torre Baldinotti : in Via Turazza, the ground floor has a series of arches surmounted by stone cones where the shops of the time fixed the hinges of the doors opening onto the street.