The beautiful walled city of Volterra, an ancient Etruscan town some 45 miles southwest of Florence, is famous for its well-preserved medieval ramparts, museums and archeological sites, and atmospheric cobblestone streets. Fans of American author Stephanie Meyer know it as the setting for the second book in the Twilight series, New Moon. 

But Volterra has another claim to fame that is older than vampire tales. Since ancient times, Volterra, a key trading center and one of the most important Etruscan towns, has been known as the city of alabaster.  The Etruscans mined alabaster in the nearby hills and considered it the stone of the dead. The mineral was used for elaborate funerary urns and caskets that housed the ashes of the departed, prized for its durability, beautiful coloration, natural veining and translucence. When the Romans ascended, alabaster fell out of favor and marble became the preferred sculpting material.