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.
