Sorano

Sorano clings to a tufa outcrop above the Lente gorge, with the Orsini fortress at one end and a quarter called the Rocca Vecchia that partly collapsed in landslides and was abandoned. Below the town run the vie cave, roads the Etruscans cut down into the soft volcanic rock, some of them twenty metres deep and only a few metres wide, so walking them is like moving through a roofless tunnel with moss and ferns on the walls. Their purpose is unresolved: drainage, defence, livestock routes and ritual ways between necropoli have all been argued. Several are walkable between Sorano, Sovana and Pitigliano.

History

Probably lived in by the Villanovan culture, Sorano is first recorded in the 3rd century BC as an Etruscan town under the influence of nearby Sovana. It reappears in 862, when Emperor Louis II founded a county under the Aldobrandeschi, who were among the most powerful lords of southern Tuscany until 1312, and in 1604 it became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany (Wikipedia, Sorano).

What to look for

• The vie cave - Etruscan roads cut up to twenty metres down into tufa.
• The Orsini fortress - a bastioned castle at the head of the village.
• The Rocca Vecchia - the abandoned quarter lost to landslide.
• The gorge setting - the village stacked above the Lente river.

When to go

April to October; the vie cave are slippery after rain and hold water. Summer is cooler inside the cuttings than on the ridge. Winter closes some facilities.

Practical notes

The sunken roads are muddy, uneven and poorly lit, and need proper footwear. Signage between paths is inconsistent. The village is very steep.

Nearby

Pitigliano lies south; Sovana is west.

Key facts