porta all'arco

Jerusalemmiriam

But worth the try. What was especially moving the a small article near the gate pasted on a shop about the WWII history of the town's effort to save this gate from the German retreat...having stood for 3000 years, the people of the town insured it stood for posterity!

shulamit657

It's a steep walk down to the gate, but it gives you a real feeling for the history of the area.. It is really quite impressive. Read up about it first or take your guide book.

rancestoddard

Huge! And built in 400BC. It has been the seen of many pivotal moments in history, including in WWII.

CeliaD884

This gateway to the city is just so old that it difficult to imagine anything built now lasting for so long. Very impressive! We were there when the locals were re-enacting the blocking up of the gate to prevent its destruction in 1944 -using paving blocks from the street.

KKLMinnesota

Our lovely tour guide walked us around town and then explained the history of this place. She told us about the people that saved this arch and made it show the strength of the Italian people and makes this a lovely city in Tuscany to visit and enjoy!!Grazie! Kim

crosscreek7

If you are in Volterra, stop and take a look at this ancient arch, and then consider how it was preserved by the townspeople during World War II

BGooge

A necessary landmark if you are staying outside the city to the south and want to walk in. A reasonable place to stop and get your breath on the way up the hill.

Eburacensis

You don't often see a city gateway this old. (They should make more of the fact that the citizens preserved it in 1944 by burying in stones to stop the German army demolishing it in the face of the US advance.)

TomRossAtlanta

For me, this old arch was a 5 on the scale of historic attractions. As I looked at it, I wondered about life here when it was first constructed. They were very different times.You need to be in relatively good shape if you plan to make the walk down over the hill from city center to see the arch because the hill is fairly steep. However, if you make the walk, you will become witness to the engineering and masonry skills of a people (Etruscans) who lived long ago. Looking at the wall again, I knew that on the day they were finishing the arch, those who constructed it could have had no idea what the world would look like today. You can see my trip to the wall was a philosophical journey through time. I loved it!!

Bill31310

My wife and I got used to seeing Roman monuments during our trip to northern Italy, but in this case we were treated to an up-close look at a structure that easily pre-dates the Roman era. As other reviewers have noted, the arch has much more recent history associated with it as well. We found it interesting that there are people living right next door.

smithley

Not only is this a pretty impressive stone arch built during the height of the Etruscan Empire, but it has an interesting modern twist also. During WWII, the Volterrans were afraid that the Nazis were going to blow the arch to slow down Allied forces, so they took it apart stone by stone and filled in the arch. It was reconstructed after the war's end.

ChristineDurham

Not for travellers with mobility issues as it is on a steep hill down from the main centre. If you can though it is well worth the effort. The gate has a history and tells a story through time-the views from the ancient walls are spectacular.

slits007

dates to the Estruscans- saved from destruction by the Germans in WWII when locals pulled up cobblestones to block the entry instead

Ginnyhan

If you are fit and don't mind a hill, this is worth seeing. It features in the New Moon series, so if have teenagers with you they might be impressed.

Luciano_Matricardi

Como Volterra é uma cidade Medieval, ela é toda cercada por muralhas e possui portas, em formato de arco, para a entrada. Todas elas são muito interessantes e bonitas. Como a cidade é muito bem preservada, ao passar por estas portas você sente como se estivesse entrando num filme antigo, é muito interessante. Fui em novembro, mas parece que em Agosto a cidade realiza uma espécie de festival em que os moradores saem às ruas vestidos com trajes de época, fiquei curioso e gostaria de voltar neste período.