Volterra Misericordia Map and Guide

How to Find oldest Association in Volterra

The Volterra Misericordia was born in 1291 and is the fifth oldest in Italy after Florence (1244, located in the Cathedral Square), Siena, Pontremoli, and Rifredi. It's the oldest association in Volterra. The icon marks the location of the Chiesa della Misericordia at Piazza San Giovanni, 2 56048 Volterra (PI) where there is a small museum of the history of the Volterra Misericordia. To find out more about the operations, see Oratorio della Misericordia di Volterra.

What's a Misericordia?

The Misericordia began as a confraternity of the faithful working to give aid to anyone who needed it. You see, back in the 11th century the Government didn’t sponsor much in the way of assistance to the sick or the poor. Christians of the time actually took notice of the good works and wise words of Jesus, a rarity in today’s world, and were evidently eager to make some effort toward filling the “love they neighbor” gap and increasing their chances of getting to heaven. This, in a very small and inadequate nutshell, was how the Confraternity was born. -- Oratorio della Misericordia di Volterra

The plague years brought dangerous duty for the volunteers in the black robes, the hood assuring anonymity for the humble workers, so that attention is not drawn towards themselves but to God as they perform their work:

Volterra Travel Tips

Volterra is quite a compact town; it can be seen in a day. But there are fine restaurants here--and San Gimignano is close--so it doesn't make a bad base for a stay of a week or more.

Volterra doesn't have a train station. The bus terminal in Volterra is on Piazza Martiri della Liberta.

For inexpensive lodging in Volterra, check out Hostelz: Volterra.

Voltera Travel Guide

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