Volterra Cathedral (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta)
The portal of Volterra's cathedral is built partly from stone quarried out of the Roman theatre down the hill — spolia worked into a Romanesque façade, old city folded into older city. Step through and the nave opens wide: 22 columns dressed in stucco the colour of rose granite, a Latin cross of a room that has been rebuilt, reordered and repainted across nine centuries without ever quite losing the thread.
In the Chapel of the Deposition, five polychrome wooden figures from 1228 enact the taking-down of Christ with the kind of directness that predates artistic self-consciousness. Nearby, Benozzo Gozzoli left a fresco in 1479. Domenichino, Mino da Fiesole, Giovanni Mannozzi — the interior reads like a long, slow accumulation of Tuscan ambition.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to linger at the pulpit longer than they planned — the 12th-century lions at the base of the columns, attributed to the school of Guglielmo and possibly carved by the Pisan Bonamico, reward a close look. The combined ticket covering the adjacent Baptistry (which predates the year 1000) is worth taking; the two buildings in conversation are more interesting than either alone.
The story behind Volterra Cathedral (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta)
A church dedicated to Saint Mary stood on or near this site from at least the 9th century. The earthquake of 1117 destroyed much of Volterra, and the rebuilt cathedral was consecrated by Pope Calixtus II in 1120. Nicola Pisano is credited with further reconstruction and the Romanesque-Pisan façade in the 13th century; the transept and choir followed in the 14th.
The cathedral's status changed dramatically in 1472, when Florentine forces besieging the city destroyed the original episcopal seat. The bishop's seat moved here permanently, and the building accumulated its present layers of decoration over the following centuries — Mino da Fiesole's marble ciborium with flanking angels (1471), the Serguidi Chapel attributed to Vasari (1595), and a heavy restoration campaign in 1842–43 that left its own mark on the interior.
Good to know
Entry is €8 and covers the Baptistry and an exhibition space next door; the ticket stays valid for two days. Volterra has no train station — reach it by bus from Cecina or Pontedera, both connected to Florence by regional rail. Avoid Sunday mornings and major feast days if you want uninterrupted access. Shoulders and knees should be covered.
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What travellers say about Volterra Cathedral (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta)
Hidden in a quiet corner of Volterra, and rebuilt after the earthquake of 1117 that destroyed most of the town. Amongst the various artistic masterpieces kept inside the Cathedral, the five polychrome sculptures carved out of wood portraying the “Deposition of Christ from the Cross” certainly stand out. Worth a visit.
My wife and I enjoyed visiting the cathedral. Current cost is 7EUR/person and includes a great audio guide with approximately 15 stations. Each station on the audio guide provides about two minutes of information - total audio guide is 34 minutes long. The audio guide is outstanding - you must download it to your smart phone after scanning a QR code given to you after purchasing a ticket. The audio guide is as good, if not better, than several walking tour guides we have taken for substantially more cost. The ticket to cathedral offers each person a 2EUR discount to visit Palazzo Viti (5EUR instead of 7EUR). The cathedral is not a component of the Volterra Card. Again, great audio guide that brings to life the many great paintings and sculptures within the cathedral.
Great church. A bit pricy for the whole family.
Church is nice outside…..but you have to pay to enter a church….and this is not acceptable in Italy
Pay 7 euro and enter to the cathedral church!!! I entered and is beautiful. Now it's run by a private association. Iis it good to use Church for income? I don't know... Interesting. 🤣😂. Whoever built this Church had never thought of this way 🤣😂. But at least they should allow if anyone asks for a sec for prayers. Even if they are tricky. Show them that the Church never asks you money to pray. I could see that someone came and asked them 2 minutes for prayers. Unfortunately they couldn't. Because no money no pray. I had 7 euro so I could pray and visit. I have visited many churches in Italy, but this was strange.🤭. Do really the bishop knows about it that his cathedral entrance is under ticket only?
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