Città del Tufo Archaeological Park

One of the most extraordinary qualities of the Tuscan Maremma, and there are many, is that the area is rich in Etruscan ruins. You cannot travel more than 10 km without stumbling upon the remains of an Etruscan city or, more often, in a necropolis.

Some are better maintained than others. The ruins within the City of Tuff are well preserved and breathtaking. The park is located approximately halfway between Sovana and Sorano.

The Etruscans were a pre-Roman civilization that lived in Etruria, now central Italy, starting from the 10th century BC. about. They had a fantastic relationship with the ancient Greeks and learned winemaking and pottery from them. Unfortunately, they didn’t learn to fight, so you can only imagine how things went when the Romans arrived in the 2nd century BC…

Consequently, much of the Etruscan culture and artistic fervor can only be found in necropolises such as the Città del Tufo di Sovana. The park is vast and extends over wild forest in the middle of the fertile Fiora valley. In all, there are 11 separate sites. Most are tombs, but there are also the Vie Cave (pictured above), which were the highways of ancient Etruria, dug deeply into high tuff cliffs.

The age of these Etruscan tombs is astounding. You are looking at rock tombs that date back to the 8th-7th century BC! And they are far from simple and small.

The Ildebranda Tomb (above) is the most famous tomb in the park. An imposing rock fortress, once designed to resemble a temple. Twelve columns supported the roof, one for each capital of Etruria. Centuries ago it was painted bright green, yellow, red and blue and covered in more magnificent floral and animal motifs than most modern churches.

Today only the shell of this enormous building remains, but it is still possible to explore it. Below you’ll find the burial chamber proper, complete with the table where the deceased would be laid amidst a glut of treasures: urns, gold, jewels, and anything else they might need in the afterlife.

In the Tomb of the Winged Demons (above), you can still see the paint dotting the sculpted figure of a reclining man. This would have been made in the likeness of the deceased Etruscan buried below. Above ground it is guarded by a lion statue which, although eroded away, is still quite ferocious.

You don’t even have to be an ancient history expert to enjoy the park. When I visited, it was full of young families and groups of friends. The children loved it simply because they were free to interact with the tombs, admire the stone statues up close and walk the Vie Cave just like the Etruscans would have done.

My only advice is to wear sturdy shoes and bring a bottle of water. It’s quite a walk from one ruin to another, but absolutely worth it.

The Città del Tufo Archaeological Park is located just outside Sovana. To find it head towards Sovana and once you arrive follow the signs for the park towards Santa Fiora. There is a small car park just outside the park and next to a river, don’t miss it