Sorano e l’insediamento rupestre di Vitozza

Coming from the direction of Sovana, two kilometres from the village of
Sorano, we meet the well-marked sign to the necropolis of San Rocco and
its church. We cross the bridge that brings us to the indicated area,
where we can admire the necropolis and the splendid balcony that looks
over the village and, right behind the church, we descend the via cava
di San Rocco, that leads to the bottom of the valley below Sorano. The
Etruscan path has very deep and evocative walls and was created and
used originally as a road leading to the necropolis and then later and
up to just a while ago as a path to reach Sovana. After this short walk
through the tuff we reach a small stream which we cross just after to
arrive under the impressive village of Sorano that rises steeply before
us. Crossing a little bridge over the river Lente, the path bends
slightly to the left and brings us to a junction near a purification
plant. We walk up a short hill and reach the provincial highway that we
descend for about a kilometre. We then reach a big, well sign-posted
bridge over the river Lente and just before this we take another path
that soon brings us to a village, where we enter a wood before wading
across the river. We now reach a beautiful section of the itinerary in
the shade of a wood which winds parallel to the river Lente with
alternating flat and hilly sections. We quickly pass a clearing and
continue through the wood until we come to another ford. A few minutes
after this we reach a detour on the right, climbing the hill to Vitozza
which we reach, taking care to take the sharp bend on the right. The
hill we reach has an impressive number of caves, about 180. This is an
Etruscan village with structures built in the tuff that were used for
various functions, from homes to stables where animals were kept. Some
are even composed of several floors, communicating with each other, and
most were fitted out with niches, ovens and fireplaces. We ought to
spend some time exploring this unique place. We must also point out the
famous burial chambers, similar to those of the Romans; we find one
just after the ruins of an old bridge, on the right. We start climbing
again before the gate and reach an easy path enclosed within a fence
where we find a table and benches. Here we find the ruins of a group of
medieval fortified buildings called “the second castle”. We go straight
on in the opposite direction from our climb, and we meet the ruins of
Chiesaccia and a second fortification. Along the way, in the direction
of San Quirico, we meet lots of caves of various sizes that deserve a
visit, and, just before the village, we can see that there is still a
very close link between the tuff and the inhabitants: in fact many
caves outside the archaeological area are still used for storing goods
or for housing animals. Just a few minutes later we reach the centre of
the village of San Quirico.

This itinerary is
part of a collection that the magazine “Trekking”, together with the
APT (Provincial Tourist Authority) of the Tuscan Coast, has dedicated
to the most beautiful trekking routes in this area. A series of
itineraries that will help you discover lovely places and will
introduce you to a district that has great environmental and cultural
appeal.