Volterra

Our second stop of the day was Volterra, a town that was inhabited by Romans as early as the 1^st century BC.

The view of the surrounding landscape was very impressive, and highlighted the strategic importance of the city’s hilltop location.

As with San Gimignano, we spent a lot of time walking around the narrow streets and found a lot of interesting architecture / design.

We decided to get lunch at a small place hidden away down one of the side streets. The outdoor area only had four tables and allowed for a relaxed meal.

The outdoor seating was along the wall to the restaurant, and I wasn't quite sure if these dried flowers in one of the "windows" were intentional or not. I assume they were as they looked pretty artsy. If not, the restaurant lucked into some nice décor.

After lunch we walked around a bit more, and were able to see the former castle (which I think is a prison now) as well as the city’s ancient Roman amphitheater.