and forms of erosion . The vertical walls generated by the collapse of the clay soil give rise to the characteristic craggy morphology , with gullies below .
Here too the sculptor wanted to enrich the territory with his precious works . We are enchanted in front of the steel " Portal " located near the Lischeto farm , but it is in San Giacomo in Fognano that the artist reaches the apex of the union between art and nature , with the " inverted arch " balanced on the cliff of a knoll , which has the snow-covered Apennines as its background .
We reach Saline di Volterra , where salt is still extracted from ‘ moie ’, springs of salty water , and we close our itinerary by going up towards Volterra . Along the way we meet the artist ' s latest work , ' La Boldria ', a large white ring edged in red , which frames Larderello and his dandelions . It seems that Staccioli wants to show us a true example of conscious use of the resources of our planet . In fact , Larderello is home to the first power plant in the world where the earth ' s energy was exploited to produce electricity thanks to geothermal conversion . A renewable resource that today gives energy and heat to homes and businesses in a large part of central Tuscany .
The journey could not end in what was once one of the main city-states of Etruria : Volterra . Located at about 530 metres above sea level it was chosen as the dominant garrison of the whole Val Di Cecina and , from its mighty walls , the gaze can range from Monte Amiata to the Tirrenian coast . Born Etruscan and became Roman , it has been known since ancient times for the mineral wealth of the surrounding hills and the abundant presence of water thanks to the Cecina river . Having survived the crisis of the Roman cities , it had a period of strong decline before experiencing new splendor
starting from the tenth century with the advent of the power of the bishops . The ‘ Palazzo dei Priori ’, built in 1200 , was born as the seat of the municipal bourgeoisie who ruled the city until it was annexed to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany . If its modern history speaks of the antifascist battles for the liberation of the city , the contemporary one tells us of a territory intricately linked to modernity and tradition . Alabaster and earthenware products continue to play a leading role in local crafts , but it is tourism that dominates the local economy .
It is almost sunset when we park our motorbike along the row of two wheels that has formed in front of the panoramic point of Piazza delle Libertà . We look out and a smile is born on our faces . It is the joy of discovering every time that to escape the daily monotony , a few hours are enough in the saddle of our motorbike between curves , art , and nature . FC
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