Volterra and the Medici: an exhibition to mark two years of filming of the hit TV series

From December 20, 2018 to February 28, 2019, the exhibition Volterra and the Medici will be on display on the third floor of the Palazzo dei Priori in Volterra. The Symbols and Faces of Power, promoted and realized by the Municipality of Volterra, Cooperativa Archeologia and Cooperativa Siena Viva.

The exhibition aims to present the complex relations between the city of Volterra and the Florentine Medici family through the symbols of power and the faces of the protagonists.
Works and objects from the Municipality’s collections, such as coins, paintings, and archival evidence will be on display accompanied by an accurate didactic apparatus useful to tell this story, starting from the first relations with the Florentine Republic and the Medici.

In the 14th century Volterra had intense exchanges with Florence, thanks to the strengthening of commercial and financial ties between the two cities. Minerals were extracted in the Volterra territory and plants necessary for wool processing were cultivated; it also sold to the Republic salt from the Montegemoli salt pans, of which it held a monopoly.
Among the Florentine families most connected to Volterra, the Medici also made regular stops there to strengthen ties with friendly families such as the Caffarecci, the Minucci and the Inghirami.
At the time of Lorenzo the Magnificent, a large deposit of alum, a mineral essential for fixing colors on cloth, was discovered in the Volterra area, which led to a radical change in the balance between Volterra and Florence, and to what is remembered as the “Volterran sack” of 1472. A fight broke out in Volterra between factions for and against Florence, and on this occasion, Paolo Inghirami, a friend of Florence and an ally of the Medici, was killed.
Within weeks, Florence waged war on Volterra, and by conquering the castles in the territory, the latter was forced to surrender. Retaliation was ruthless, with the sacking of the city and the expulsion of rival families.
A phase of reconstruction followed, partly financed by the Medici themselves, who sent artists and architects to Volterra. Churches and monasteries arose, palaces were restored, and the great Medici Fortress was built to dominate the city. Its control was entrusted to a Florentine commissioner, and city magistracies were abolished until 1513.
In 1530 with the second war against Florence, Volterra again attempted to free itself from Medici dominance, but with little success. After the defeat, hopes for autonomy ceased, and representatives of the great Volterran families entered as officials to become part of the court apparatus of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany or in the state secretariats of other Italian and European nations.

In conjunction with the exhibition, there will be itineraries in the city to discover the places of the Medici and those that served as the setting for the filming of the successful television series. The filming of I Medici has involved Volterra for two consecutive years.

Opening on Thursday, December 20, 2018 at 4 pm.

For info: www.comune.volterra.pi.it/musei

Hours: Daily from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Tickets: Admission included in the ticket price of 8 euros, reduced 6 euros (for university students with ID, children aged 6 to 18, over 65, COOP, FAI, TCI members and groups of minimum 6 participants)
Free for children up to 6 years old, residents of the Municipality of Volterra and students of the school district, disabled people and their companions, teachers and school chaperones, tour guides, journalists and ICOM members.

Volterra and the Medici: an exhibition to mark two years of filming of the hit TV series

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.