Volterra stands on the top of a clay hill where numerous landslides and the collapse of significant portions of the same hill has led to the striking phenomenon of the “balze”, namely dangerously steep cliffs overhanging the valley. While the “balze” are a testament to the landslides that buried houses and places of major archaeological note over the centuries, yet also go towards making the landscape that frames Volterra one of the most beautiful in the world.
