Route: Pitigliano to Sovana
Area: Italy, Tuscany
Date of walk: 7th October 2019
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 6.0 miles
Ascent: 700 feet
Weather: Sunshine and blue skies
We decided to venture south for today’s walk, having read about the improbable town of Pitigliano which is in the Grosseto region of Tuscany. Our first sight of the town was memorable – it is perched on the top of a vertical cliff of volcanic tuff, and appears to have been carved out of it. Pitigliano has a rich and ancient history dating back to Etruscan times, and is worth a visit in its own right
Having wandered around the town and its old Jewish quarter we set off on our linear journey to Sovana, having previously checked that we’d be able to catch the local bus back to the start
A short distance after leaving the town we joined the famous Vie Cave, the “sunken roads” carved out by the Etruscans during the Bronze age. They are on the world heritage watch list of endangered monuments because of their fragility, as the rock is soft and easily eroded. The purpose of these roads, some of which are cut into the rock to a depth of 20 metres or more, is still unknown
Our route took us along the Via Cava Poggio Cani and, a little later on, the Via Cava San Giuseppe. It felt as though we were walking in another world. Eventually we emerged into the real world and followed a country lane with good views back over Pitigliano. After leaving the lane and following the course of an ancient rock road we descended into woodland via another fascinating and atmospheric via cava
We then joined the road and followed it for a short distance to our destination, the small and very attractive village of Sovana, which has a single main street. We sauntered around here for a while, enjoyed refreshments at a local restaurant, and then caught the bus back to the start. It had been a fascinating walk steeped in history
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On the way to Pitigliano we stopped the car to gaze at the amazing sight of Sorana, a neighbouring town which is also built on a cliff of volcanic tuff
It's not often that the highlight of a walk is at the very beginning - these are the views of Pitigliano as we walk into the town from the car park...
We arrive in the old town and turn left before the bridge
The Medici Aqueduct, built in the 17th century, which brought water to the village
As with the rest of the town , the aqueduct is constructed out of the local volcanic tuff rock
We walk through the old Jewish Quarter
Pitigliano is also known as 'Little Jerusalem', thanks to its position close to Rome, where escaping Jews could find refuge
We descend the steps out of the town...
We join the ancient Vie Cave system - this is Via Cava Poggio Cani, with numerous caves carved out of the tuff rock...
We cross a bridge over the River Lente below
We step straight into another world as we enter Via Cava San Giuseppe - the construction of these roads involved the removal of thousands of tons of rock, and no-one knows the precise purpose
It's believed these deep ruts were caused by constant wear and tear of iron-rimmed wagon wheels from the Etruscan and Roman times
The routes of these deep corridors always coincide with a necropolis, or burial chamber
We pass through a section where a rock has collapsed and now rests on the opposite wall
We climb out of Via Cava San Giuseppe - there are at least ten similar Etruscan pathways in the valley of Pitigliano
The end of a journey through time as we emerge at a country lane and pass by a vineyard
We join a minor road, with views back across to Pitigliano...
We leave the lane and join the remains of an ancient road along the rutted terrain of Piano Conati...
We descend to another atmospheric via cava near Sovana...
We climb out of the via cava and join a minor road leading into Sovana
The ruins of the Rocca Aldobrandesca, the 12th century fortress which once guarded the village
There is a single main street in Sovana and we follow it towards the village square
Sovana Cathedral - which closed for lunch just as we arrived
We walk back through the village
Inside the Romanesque church of Santa Maria Maggiore
An ancient Etruscan delivery van - from here we catch the bus back to the start
A final glance back to Pitigliano as we retrace our steps back to the car
