Etruscan Vie Cave between Pitigliano, Sovana and Sorano

In the southernmost corner of Tuscany, where the Maremma brushes against Lazio, hides a landscape that seems to belong to another era. This is the Tuff Area, a plateau of volcanic rock slashed by deep gorges and crowned by three extraordinary villages: Pitigliano, Sovana and Sorano. Here the Etruscans left behind the Vie Cave, pathways sunk into the tuff sometimes as tall as buildings, dug by hand two and a half thousand years ago. Far from the better-known beaches and thermal baths, this inland Maremma remains little visited, especially outside summer: you walk in the cool shade of the gorges with only the sound of your own footsteps.

Pitigliano

The natural starting point is Pitigliano, the so-called City of Tuff, a village clinging to a spur of rock that from a distance seems to grow from the cliff itself. It is worth losing yourself in its alleyways, visiting the old Jewish quarter with its synagogue and the ovens carved into the tuff that earned it the name of Little Jerusalem, and looking out from the panoramic points to take in its full silhouette. Some of the most striking Vie Cave set off from Pitigliano, such as the Via Cava di San Giuseppe and the Via Cava del Gradone, which descend into the gorges below the town.

A few kilometres away is Sovana, tiny and refined, with its grassy square, the cathedral and the church of Santa Maria. Just outside the village lies the archaeological area with its Etruscan necropolis: monumental tombs carved into the rock, like the famous Ildebranda Tomb, and it is right here that you walk along one of the most impressive Vie Cave, where the tuff walls close in high above your head. This is the place where the bond between the Etruscans and this stone is understood with the body, on foot.

Sorano

The third vertex is Sorano, perched and almost vertical, dominated by the Orsini Fortress and overlooking the valley of the Lente river. Below the town are further stretches of Vie Cave and rock-cut dwellings carved into the stone, while a short distance away, near the hamlet of San Quirico a few kilometres from the main town, lies the great archaeological park of Vitozza, the cave city with its hundreds of grottoes. Sorano has a rawer, quieter atmosphere than Pitigliano, and it is a lovely place to stop at the end of the day.

The best way to experience the area is to alternate visits to the three villages with the stretches of Via Cava that connect them or set off nearby. Many routes are loops that take a few hours, descending into the cool gorges and climbing back up towards the panoramic points. Between one gorge and the next the landscape is made of woods, vineyards, olive groves and outcrops of tuff: an intimate countryside, far from the clichés of Tuscany.

Getting there

You need a car to get here: the Tuff Area is far from the railways and public transport is scarce. You can climb up from the Maremma coast or arrive from the south, coming up from Lazio along the roads that lead from Orvieto and Lake Bolsena towards Sorano and Pitigliano. Once there, you move easily by car between the three villages, which are close to one another.

When to go

The best time is the shoulder season: March and April, with the countryside green and the first warmth, or October, when the woods take on colour and the air is clear. These are months when the Vie Cave, cool and sometimes damp, are a pleasure to walk, and the villages empty of summer visitors: you may find entire gorges all to yourself. In summer the heat of the inland Maremma can be intense, even if the gorges offer shade, and the most famous villages fill up at weekends.

A practical tip: in the Vie Cave the ground is often slippery from the damp tuff and the dense shade, so wear shoes with good grip and take care after rain. Note in advance which paths are open and waymarked, set off from the villages with water and a torch for the darker stretches, and treat yourself to at least one sunset over Pitigliano: the cliff lit by the warm light is an image that stays with you.

Practical guides

• Getting to Pitigliano: a practical transport guide
• Two Days in Pitigliano: The Little Jerusalem Rising from the Tuff
• Where to stay in Pitigliano: nights of tufa between clifftop alleys and Maremma countryside
• Where to Eat in Pitigliano: Etruscan Flavors, Jewish Soul, Maremma Tables