Piazza dei Priori

The Piazza dei Priori is a square, heart of the medieval city of Volterra, in the province of Pisa.

In this square there are: Palazzo Pretorio, Torre del Porcellino or del Podestà (one of the oldest in the city), Palazzo Vescovile (former grain warehouse), Palazzo Priori from 1028, Palazzo Incontri today home to the Savings Bank of Volterra and Palazzo del Monte Pio, built starting from a set of houses, towers and structures of 1200.

The original name of Palazzo Priori was "Domus Communis".

Palazzo dei Priori, literally "building of the priors", is built entirely of stone and the facade is embellished with string courses and is crowned by semicircle battlements made in the sixteenth century. The facade is decorated with enamelled terracotta plaques representing the coats of arms of Florentine families: from the 15th century Volterra was ruled by Florentine Commissioners.

The building has undergone changes over the centuries: the ground floor was open thanks to the three portals that can still be seen on the facade (the only one left is the current entrance) and was accessed by a short staircase. Also on the ground floor was a large atrium which was used for meetings and gatherings.

On the first floor was the most representative room of the Palace, the Council Room for the official meetings of the Municipality. Also on this floor there were a small room for smaller meetings and a small chapel.

The second floor was intended to house the Elders first and the Priors later, with bedrooms, a large dining hall and a meeting room.

The rooms used as kitchens and storage for firewood were located on the top floor and were served by a freight elevator located in the internal courtyard of the building.

Today it houses part of the municipal offices (registry office, mayor's cabinet, hall of the municipal council ...), as well as temporary exhibitions.

In 1532 Daniele Ricciarelli created a fresco depicting "La Giustizia" for the Palazzo dei Priori: it is one of the early works of the artist. This fresco was removed in 1844 during some renovations: today it is kept in room XII of the local art gallery.