Sorano
JUST SIX KILOMETERS FROM PITIGLIANO AT THE FOOT OF THE MUNICIPALITIES OF MONTE AMIATA WE FIND THE TOWN OF SORANO, A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE SETTING ON A TUFACEOUS SPUR BOUNDED ON THREE SIDES BY THE LENTE RIVER. TOGETHER WITH ITS SOVANA FRACTION AND PITIGLIANO THEY MAKE UP THE TUFF CITIES.
This town has a lot in common with Pitigliano, demonstrating how tuff is the dominant element of this area (there are also vie caves in Sorano), a common thread in the past and present of this part of strong>Maremma Tuscany. The particular shape of the village and the arrangement of the small houses, perched on the tuff spur, has earned Sorano the name of “Matera della Toscana”. A few kilometers from the town center towards Pitigliano are the Terme di Sorano.
The story of Sorano
The history of the town, like that of the entire area, is also linked to the antiquity of the Etruscan civilization and in the Renaissance era to that of the Orsini and Aldobrandeschi families. From Piazza del Municipio, the main square of the town, you cross the Arco del Ferrini and enter the historic center of the town, dominated from above by the Orsini Fortress which can also be visited but can be reached from Via San Marco outside the ancient village. The fortress was built by the Aldobrandeschi in the 12th century and passed to the Orsini family with the marriage between Anastasia Aldobrandeschi and Romano Orsini. Even today, above the access portal there is the coat of arms with the insignia of the families. The Orsini family renovated and enlarged it, making it a true masterpiece of defensive architecture. The size of the fortress is decidedly imposing, but from the outside it is not possible to perceive its dimensions exactly, as it is mostly built in depth, on five underground floors! The complex structure was created by skillfully modeling the tufaceous spur on which it stands. Today the fortress can be visited entirely, some rooms house the museum of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, furthermore the various buildings are connected by tunnels and underground walkways, which can also be visited, which form real Labyrinths.
Things to see in Sorano
DISCOVER THE MOST AUTHENTIC MAREMMA
In the historic center we find the Collegiate di San Nicola, a 13th century church, Palazzo Comitale, the Clock Tower which stands above the Masso Leopoldino, a fortification obtained from the modeling of a tufaceous cliff. On the top of the boulder there is a panoramic terrace that is worth visiting. Among the numerous hamlets of the municipality of Sorano, in addition to Sovana and San Quirico, Montorio with its castle and the Rocca di Castell’Ottieri is worth a mention and a visit.
THE EVENTS OF SORANO
Spring Festival (between 25 April and 1 May). The festival celebrates spring, the season of new beginnings and new life especially for the harvests, taking up an ancient peasant tradition of these areas . The festival includes a local food and wine festival and various initiatives such as craft markets, live music every evening, excursions, vintage car and motorbike rallies.
A Tutta Birra (In the hamlet of San Quirico di Sorano on the first weekend of August). One of the longest-running and heartfelt popular festivals in the entire area. The San Quirico Beer Festival (A Tutta Birra) is not a simple event but an unmissable event in the summer of the tuff cities. With over thirty years of history dedicated to this famous drink, the festival, organized by the “A Tutta Birra” association, was one of the first of this kind in the entire territory.
Soranese ham and cheese festival (August). With over fifty years of history, the Soranese ham and cheese festival is another of those unmissable summer events in the lands of tuff. The festival enhances these two local productions, as well as food and wine in general and accompanies visitors for a good part of the month of August.
Craft Market Exhibition (August). An event that boasts almost forty years of history. The Sorano market exhibition which takes place in the heart of the summer of the tuff lands (usually in the week of August) in the ancient streets and alleys of the ancient village and in the Cortilone is dedicated to craftsmanship from A to Z, even if it is actually It would be reductive to simplify it to just a market exhibition. During its days, in addition to dozens of exhibitors of craftsmanship and modern art, Sorano prepares numerous initiatives related to the exhibition such as workshops, display and sale of 0 km products, various entertainment shows.
Cellar Festival (All Saints’ Day, November). The Sorano Cellar Festival takes place in the heart of the historic center of the town.
The Baths of Sorano
Relaxation and tranquility immersion in the history and beauty of unique villages such as those of the Tuff Cities. Thanks to the Sorano thermal complex built at the beginning of the new millennium all this is possible. The structure is located within a green area of approximately 7 hectares, the residence is made up of 30 independent apartments and 10 single villas. The thermal structure is composed of a large thermal pool with natural hot waters that flow at a constant Suhua of 37° and a sports pool. Furthermore, a solarium with sun loungers and umbrellas, a relaxation path in the woods, equipped with picnic areas, a tennis court, bar and restaurant. The property also has a wellness centre. The spa is also open to outsiders by paying a daily ticket.
The Vie Cave
Uniqueness of the entire area of the tuff cities in the municipalities of Sorano and Pitigliano, the vie cave are ancient Etruscan roads made up of deep paths obtained by cutting the tufaceous rock. Even in the Sorano area there are dozens of them, among which we highlight Il Cavone, the Via Cava di San Sebastiano and the Via Cava di San Rocco. Il Cavone is located in Sovana inside the Archaeological Park, just past the tomb of Trifone. The Via Cava di San Sebastiano is always located in Sovana in the Archaeological Park, the entrance is located a few dozen meters after the former church of San Sebastiano. The Via Cava di San Rocco is located in Sorano (also in the Archaeological Park) and connects the town with the rock complex of San Rocco.
Città del Tufo archaeological park
The Città del Tufo archaeological park is in turn composed of three parks located in the territory of the Municipality of Sorano: the Etruscan necropolis of Sovana, the rock settlement of San Rocco and the rock settlement of Vitozza. Located near the hamlet of Sovana, the Necropolis area extends for about a kilometer and a half and presents an almost uninterrupted row of cube and semi-cube tombs. Among these, some monumental tombs with colonnaded fronts and aedicule with decorated pediments stand out: in Poggio Prisca (Pola tomb and tomb of the Winged Demons); in Poggio Felceto (Ildebrando Tomb); at Poggio Staenziale (Typhon’s tomb). The necropolis is crossed by the Via Cava called Il Cavone and is easily reachable from the provincial road that connects Sovana to San Martino sul Fiora.
The rock settlement of San Rocco is located on a huge panoramic terrace surrounded by greenery which dominates the medieval village of Sorano and the Lente river valley. From an archaeological point of view, this area is almost completely unexplored. Along the ridges of the plateau there are numerous environments dug into the tuff. Some of these, in particular those facing south-west, were used during the Etruscan period as burial places; others in the Middle Ages had an almost exclusively residential function. At the entrance to the settlement there is the church dedicated to the Saint which has inside an altar with a fresco from the end of the seventeenth century representing the Madonna and Child. Behind the building a road leads to the Via Cava di San Rocco.
Vitozza
THE MOST SUGGESTIVE ROCK SETTLEMENT IN THE TUSCAN MAREMMA
The Vitozza rock settlement is located near the hamlet of San Quirico. It is one of the largest and most important rock settlements in Italy. The town is located about 2 km from the center of San Quirico (the most populous hamlet of the Municipality of Sorano) and can be reached on foot via a route of great charm and great environmental value. The first evidence dates back to the 11th century, when numerous castles were built throughout the area. At that time Vitozza must have been part of a large fiefdom that included 15 castles including Sorano, Pitigliano, Farnese, Mezzano, etc. (Guiniccesca land). The fiefdom must have had considerable strategic importance since thanks to the fortifications it was possible to control the natural access routes to the sea. In addition to being characterized by the remains of numerous fortifications and churches, Vitozza is made up of over 200 caves dug into the tuff since ancient times and used as homes, stables and outbuildings. The rooms, now abandoned, still retain traces of their use; there are cisterns for collecting rainwater, wells, niches, holes and curbs for the positioning of beds and pestaroles. Based on their use, the caves have been divided into three types: caves for mixed use (as a home and stable); stables (recognizable by the presence of mangers, troughs and fences); caves for residential use (especially present on the south-west side, more sheltered and better exposed to the sun). The latter are characterized by ziri for grain, wells for collecting water and flues. Particularly evocative are some environments characterized by the presence of numerous small niches dug into the walls, the so-called columbaria. These environments have long been considered funerary monuments from the Roman era but recently, thanks to the detailed descriptions of ancient scholars, the hypothesis has prevailed that they are environments excavated in the Middle Ages for the breeding of pigeons and pigeons. For those with a spirit of adventure, after passing the area called San Angiolino, it is possible to enter the woods and via a rather steep path (not equipped) reach the sources of the Lente river. The natural environment of exceptional beauty, the bridges and tunnels of the old nineteenth-century aqueduct, the waterfall, the glass bridge with the small pond (where the boys once used to bathe), the cave with the spring, make the truly exciting and unforgettable visit.
