Piazza dei Priori

Piazza dei Priori has been the civic centre of Volterra for centuries. Its medieval town hall and surrounding palaces preserve the history of the commune and the civic institutions that developed around the square.

Why it matters

The square formed around the institutions of Volterra's medieval commune. Before the surrounding palaces were built, the open ground served as a market and gathering place. Palazzo dei Priori, begun in 1208, remains its defining civic building and anchors an ensemble of public and religious structures that developed around the square.

What to notice

Palazzo dei Priori faces Palazzo Pretorio and its Torre del Porcellino. The Palazzo Vescovile, originally a grain warehouse before its later episcopal role, stands nearby. Palazzo Incontri and Monte Pio reflect later civic and financial uses of the area. Behind the Monte Pio complex, narrow vicolo Mazzoni preserves traces of a group of thirteenth-century tower houses, a form associated with medieval urban life.

Context and history

Markets and civic institutions preceded the palaces around the square. As Volterra's commune grew, public buildings were erected around the open space. The priors' palace was begun in 1208; later buildings housed judicial and notarial functions, grain storage, religious administration and finance. The arrangement records the concentration of government, justice, trade and banking in the medieval civic centre.