What to see in Volterra ?

Volterra has resisted time since the Etruscans. Perched at 550 metres on a rocky spur in Tuscany, it has kept its medieval walls almost entirely intact and an economy still rooted in local alabaster. The Piazza dei Priori, spare and without flourish, sets the tone: a city that made no attempt to please tourists, and that's precisely what sets it apart from Siena or San Gimignano.

Two days suffice to see it properly, including the Museo Etrusco Guarnacci and its funerary urns. The best period runs from April to June, before the heat and organised groups arrive. You get here by car or bus from Colle di Val d'Elsa; the train doesn't serve the town. Skip the alabaster shops on the main circuit—prices are inflated; the artisan workshops away from the centre charge far more reasonable rates.