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Palazzo dei Priori, Volterra

Palazzo dei Priori, Volterra historical timeline

Last updated on October 14, 2026

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1208 — construction is begun at the will of Ildebrando Pannocchieschi, count palatine of the Empire, and the commission is entrusted to master Riccardo da Como.
around 1234 — work has progressed somewhat slowly, but the ground floor and part of the first floor are in use.
1257 — the fabric is completed, as recorded by an epigraph in leonine hexameters walled into the palace. It is the oldest communal palace in Tuscany.
its first identity — the building is called the Domus Communis, the Palace of the Commune, and is used by the Anziani as their residence.
1283 — the original twenty-four Anziani become the eighteen Priori del Popolo. The palace's modern name comes from this title, taken on the model of equivalent offices in the commune of Florence.
1289 — the body is reduced again, to the twelve Difensori del Popolo.
from the 15th century — Volterra, having entered Florence's orbit, is governed by Florentine commissioners, and the façade is given glazed terracotta plaques bearing the arms of Florentine families.
the 16th century — the semicircular merlons crowning the façade are probably made, and the pentagonal tower with two crenellated levels is built.
1785 — on Mario Guarnacci's death his archaeological collection and library are moved into this palace, where they remain until 1877.
the 19th century — many paintings are housed in its rooms, making the palace the first home of the city picture gallery, until all the works are moved to the present Palazzo Minucci-Solaini.
1846 — an earthquake damages the tower, whose terminal part is subsequently rebuilt.
today — the palace houses part of the municipal offices — the registry, the mayor's office, the council chamber — as well as temporary exhibitions, and the Comune di Volterra's address is Piazza dei Priori 1.

Verified against Wikipedia, October 2026.

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Checked against Wikipedia — Construction of the Palazzo dei Priori in Volterra was begun at the will of Ildebrando Pannocchieschi, count palatine of the Empire, and the commission was entrusted to master Riccardo da Como in 1208; construction progressed somewhat slowly, though the ground floor and part of the first floor were in use around 1234, and the fabric must have been concluded in 1257, as recorded by an epigraph in leonine hexameters walled into the palace., The Palazzo dei Priori stands in the historic centre of Volterra, in the square of the same name, in the province of Pisa, and is the oldest communal palace in Tuscany., The original name of the Volterra building was Domus Communis, the Palace of the Commune, and it was used by the Anziani as a residence; the original twenty-four Anziani became the eighteen Priori del Popolo in 1283 and were then reduced to the twelve Difensori del Popolo in 1289, and the palace's present name of dei Priori comes from the title the Anziani later took, on the example of analogous offices in the commune of Florence., The Palazzo dei Priori in Volterra is built entirely in stone, its facade softened by string courses and crowned by semicircular merlons probably made in the 16th century, and decorated with glazed terracotta plaques representing the coats of arms of Florentine families, because from the 15th century Volterra was governed by Florentine commissioners having entered the orbit of the lily city., The Palazzo dei Priori in Volterra is surmounted by a pentagonal tower with two crenellated levels, built around the 16th century and later rebuilt in its terminal part after the earthquake of 1846., The Palazzo dei Priori was also the original home of the Volterra picture gallery, since many paintings were housed in its rooms during the 19th century until all the works were moved to the present seat at Palazzo Minucci-Solaini., The Palazzo dei Priori in Volterra today houses part of the municipal offices, including the registry, the mayor's office and the council chamber, as well as temporary exhibitions. (October 2026).
Checked against Comune di Volterra — The Guarnacci collection was first housed in Palazzo Maffei, moved with its library into the thirteenth-century Palazzo dei Priori on Guarnacci's death in 1785, and in 1877 was installed by the director Niccolo Maffei in Palazzo Desideri Tangassi, where it remains., The Comune di Volterra can be reached on 0588 86050 at Piazza dei Priori 1, 56048. (October 2026).

Palazzo dei Priori, Volterra historical timeline

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