In the fourth appointment with Roads we start from Florence to get to the Hermitage of Montesiepi. The path winds through the beautiful streets of Tuscany, full of curves and beautiful landscapes.

Leaving from Florence we head towards Montespertoli ¹, a small town between hills and vineyards; In Montespertoli we find several castles, among these noteworthy is the Castle of Poppiano owned by the Guicciardini family since its construction; today it is home to the homonymous winery.

The road continues towards the village of Lucardo Alto, also in the municipality of Montespertoli, the oldest settlement in the municipality. Here we find a Castle ² with a plaque dedicated to Francesco Giovanni Paolosanti Lucardesi and the few houses that make up the small fraction that dominates the district.

From Lucardo, we start towards Volterra ³, along the Certaldese and then the Volterrana passing through Certaldo and Gambassi Terme, after beautiful landscapes and countless curves we finally arrive at Volterra ³.

In Tuscany the cities worthy of note and rich in history are many, Volterra certainly is, among these, one of the most beautiful.

Even just wandering through the streets of the city, admiring the walls, admiring the view from the top of the city is something worth visiting.

In Volterra there is much more, from the Roman Theater to the Palazzo dei Priori, to the Duomo, the whole historic center is dotted with architectural jewels. The main ones are the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the baptistery, the Palazzo dei Priori and the Palazzo Pretorio which are located in the Piazza dei Priori.

Also in Volterra there are also the Guarnacci Etruscan Museum, the Medicean Fortress, Porta a Selci, the Roman amphitheater with its archaeological area that includes the remains of the baths, the Ecomuseo dell'Alabastro, just to mention the most important things.

The part that struck me most personally is the Etruscan walls and the six gates of access to the city that are located along the walls. They testify to the Etruscan origin of the city along with the acropolis, always of Etruscan origin.

After a long visit to Volterra we resume the journey heading towards the Hermitage of Montesiepi, near the Abbey of San Galgano. I do not speak of the abbey itself, which deserves a separate discussion, but only of this small construction at the top of a hill because it contains something very special: the sword in the rock ⁴.