Cliffs of clay that have swallowed churches and necropolises
West of Volterra, the hill suddenly breaks off into the Balze, sheer cliffs of sand and clay up to a hundred metres high, eroded by rain over the centuries. The erosion has gradually advanced towards the city, swallowing roads, houses, part of the Etruscan walls and necropolises and, in the seventeenth century, the church of San Giusto, which was rebuilt further away.
On the edge of the precipice stands the abandoned Badia Camaldolese, the abbey of Santi Giusto e Clemente, partly collapsed into the void. The bleak, dramatic landscape impressed travellers and writers: D'Annunzio set a novel here. A short path from the San Giusto quarter leads to the viewpoints.
Tip: go at sunset, when the cliffs turn pink and gold; stay behind the barriers, as the edge is unstable.
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