The Balze are deep clay ravines on the western edge of Volterra, formed by centuries of erosion. The chasms have swallowed an Etruscan necropolis, a medieval monastery, and a Romanesque church — parts of the latter's walls are still visible, jutting out from the crumbling cliff edge. The landscape is strange and austere: pale clay gullies, the odd umbrella pine, and a view west toward the coast on a clear day. A short walk from Porta San Francesco.
Le Balze
Dramatic clay ravines that swallowed churches and tombs