{"id":8076,"date":"2022-12-01T11:08:28","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T10:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maremma.name\/etruscan-cave-streets\/"},"modified":"2023-08-31T13:14:25","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T12:14:25","slug":"etruscan-cave-streets","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/maremma.name\/en\/etruscan-cave-streets\/","title":{"rendered":"Etruscan Cave Streets"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Etruscan Cave Streets<\/h1>\n

The vie cave are ancient road routes, deeply dug into the tuff, which were built in the Etruscan era and which characterize the south-east area of the lower Maremma in Tuscany, whose villages are also called “Citt\u00e0 del Tufo”.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These ancient roads of very ancient origins were reused, enlarged and adapted successively over the centuries, in Roman, medieval, Renaissance and modern times. The Vie Cave were used to allow easier access to the plains that surrounded the villages starting from the valley floor and, in fact, outline the main communication arteries of the ancient centers of the tuff area: Pitigliano, Sovana, Sorano, but also the City of Castro in nearby Lazio, just to mention the main ones.
The appearance they have today is actually very different from the original one, as over time they have been progressively excavated, both by natural erosive phenomena and by the hand of man: this is why it is possible to see evidence of the Etruscan era in the highest points of the walls, aedicules and sacred images from the medieval or later era approximately halfway up the wall and signs of more recent activity at their base: in fact the flow of water caused the progressive deterioration of the road surface which, to be restored, in the case that the road continued to be used, required a further excavation which further deepened the cut.<\/p>\n

The main Vie Cave: Pitigliano<\/a>, Sorano<\/a> and Sovana<\/a><\/h2>\n

The Vie Cave<\/strong> are numerous and vary in size: between two and four meters wide, some reach heights of almost twenty-five meters and can be up to a kilometer long. Among the most famous and fascinating are the Cavone<\/strong>, the Via Cava di San Sebastiano<\/strong>, the Via Cava di San Rocco<\/strong> and the Via Cava dei Fratenuti<\/strong>. The Cavone and the Via Cava di San Sebastiano are located in Sovana, inside the Archaeological Park<\/strong>. The Via Cava di San Rocco is located in Sorano, while the Via Cava di Fratenuti is located in Pitigliano.<\/p>\n

Tour of the Vie Cave<\/h1>\n

A tour of the Vie Cave<\/strong> offers a unique experience, allowing you to immerse yourself in an atmosphere full of history and mystery. A suggestive itinerary can start from the town of Pitigliano<\/strong>, crossing various stretches of the Etruscan cave roads and hills, until arriving in the center of Sovana<\/strong>. Along the way, you can admire perfectly preserved medieval villages, walk among the ancient tuff walls and discover the marvels of Maremma’s nature.<\/p>\n

How to visit the Vie Cave<\/h2>\n

To visit the Vie Cave<\/strong>, it is recommended to wear comfortable shoes or trekking shoes, given that the routes wind through woods. It is preferable to avoid rainy days or days immediately following heavy rains. During hot summer days, it is important to bring drinking water. The Vie Cave can be traveled on foot<\/strong>, on horseback<\/strong> and, for the more experienced, even by bicycle<\/strong>. However, it is important to keep in mind that the moss on the rocks can often make them slippery and that in some sections it may be necessary to dismount and carry the bicycle by hand.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Vie Cave of Sovana<\/h1>\n

Via Cava del Cavone<\/strong> It is the widest and most famous one. The via cava was traced in the Etruscan era crossing an older archaic necropolis, whose tombs are still visible along the upper edge, especially in the initial stretch. Its dating is confirmed by an Etruscan inscription, accompanied by a swastika, present at the top, on the left wall, just before it opens onto the plateau. In 1912 a votive deposit was found in the valley floor, the few materials that have come down to us are exhibited in the Museum of San Mamiliano. The road headed north and was supposed to connect Sovana with the centers of internal Etruria (Chiusi, Orvieto).<\/p>\n

The Poggio Prisca Quarry<\/strong>, like the Cavone, allowed access to the Pianetti di Sovana, dividing Poggio Felceto from Poggio Staenziale, two of the most important nuclei of the Etruscan Necropolis of Sovana. La Via Cava di Poggio Prisca divides the area of the Necropolis of Sovana in two, separating the area of the Tomba<\/span> Ildebranda<\/span> from that of the Tomb of the Typhoon. The path is quite narrow but not very deep. Also in this hollow road we find the characteristic “<\/span>Scaccidiavoli\u201d<\/span>: the sacred aedicules sculpted with symbolic figures to ward off dangers for the traveller.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

From the Tomba del Tifone it is possible to take another via cava, the Via Cava di Poggio Staenziale, to reach Cavone.<\/p>\n

The Via Cava di San Sebastiano<\/strong> opens on the opposite side of the valley compared to the previous ones, and was supposed to lead towards the Fiora valley. It is perhaps the most suggestive of the via caves, due to its considerable depth combined with a truly reduced width. Also in this case, in the highest part of the walls, traces of Etruscan chamber tombs and signs that can be traced back to the Middle Ages are visible. Just before reaching the plateau, on the right you can access an ancient hermitage – oratory, with numerous crosses engraved on its walls, which overlooks the street in a very suggestive way. The Via Cava of San Sebastiano can be easily reached by following the pedestrian path from Nercopoli di Sovana<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Via Cava di Pian de’Conati<\/strong> is part of the ancient route that connects Sovana to Pitigliano. The route is about 7<\/span> kilometers<\/span> long and<\/span> starts<\/span> from the town of<\/span> Sovana to then arrive in the Pitigliano area, in the Via Cava di San Giuseppe area. The route has recently been redeveloped. <\/span><\/p>\n

How to reach them<\/h3>\n

The vie cave of Sovana are part of the Citt\u00e0 del Tufo Archaeological Park<\/strong>, with access from the S.P. between Sovana and San Martino sul Fiora.<\/p>\n

The Vie Cave in Sorano<\/h1>\n

In reality, the last stretch of the S.P. can be compared to a via cava. between Sovana and Sorano which, built at the beginning of the 20th century, goes up from the Lente river valley with numerous hairpin bends between high walls embedded in the tuff up to the town of Sorano.<\/p>\n

The Cava di San Rocco<\/strong> is ancient, however, which connected the town with the rock settlement facing the cliff. Along its route, the water canalization systems and the numerous ladders dug into the tuff that were to allow access to the adjacent plots of land are appreciable.<\/p>\n

Via Cava di San Carlo and Via Cava di Laterini<\/strong><\/p>\n

From the Via Cava di San Rocco it is possible to continue towards two other less known but equally interesting via cava, the Via Cava di San Carlo and the Via Cava di Laterini. La Via Cava di San Carlo \u00e8 conosciuta dai locali anche con il nome di Via Cava di San Valentino, perch\u00e8 proseguendo oltre essa un percorso<\/span> of approximately 8 km it leads to the hamlets<\/span> <\/span>of<\/span> Castell’Ottieri<\/span> and<\/span> then<\/span> of Valentine’s Day. The Quarry Way<\/span> it develops all uphill.<\/span><\/p>\n

Via Cava di Laterini<\/strong>, on the other hand, takes you at the beginning of Via ava di San Rocco, beyond the beginning of Via Cava di San Carlo. The via cava runs almost inside the Fosso di Castel Sereno and arrives in a locality called “Case Rocchi”.<\/p>\n

How to reach them<\/h3>\n

The rock settlement of San Rocco is one of the sections of the Citt\u00e0 del Tufo Archaeological Park. The via cava can be taken either by descending from the historic center of Sorano or, at the opposite end, from the S.P. between Sorano and Sovana.<\/p>\n

The Vie Cave of Pitigliano <\/h1>\n

There are also several vie caves around Pitigliano.<\/p>\n

The Gradone Quarry<\/strong>, on the ridge to the south of the city, inside the Manzi Open-Air Museum, is probably of Etruscan origin, since it is located along the route which, starting from the necropolis of San Giovanni, passed the Meleta ditch and went up to the plateau in front of the city, skirting the Gradone necropolis, and then probably heading towards Castro and Vulci.<\/p>\n

On the opposite side of the town, however, the road that headed towards Sovana crossed two different via caves: the first, called Via Cava di Poggio Cani<\/strong>, descended from Pitigliano towards the Lente river. Being very close to the town along its route it is possible to see numerous underground structures, ancient Etruscan tombs, cellars and stables, reused several times and in part now abandoned. After crossing the river, the road then continued into the Cava di San Giuseppe<\/strong>, which went up along the opposite ridge. It also borders a necropolis of Etruscan chamber tombs and has the characteristic lateral channels that served to prevent the water flowing along the wall from invading the roadway.<\/p>\n

On the opposite bank of the Lente river, two other streets open up: the Cava dei Fratenuti<\/strong> and the Cava della Madonna delle Grazie<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

How to reach them<\/h3>\n

The vie cave of Pitigliano are easily reachable from the provincial road that connects Pitigliano to Sovana, where they are accurately signposted. The Via Cava di Poggio Cani<\/strong> can also be reached from the historic center of Pitigliano by leaving the Porta di Sovana.<\/p>\n

Other Cave routes in Maremma<\/h1>\n

Castro – Ischia di Castro<\/h2>\n

Even the ancient city of Castro, the destroyed capital of the duchy ruled by the Farnese family, was surrounded by vie cave, like many other centers of Etruscan origin in this area. The main one was located south of the city and, having crossed the Olpeta river, led towards Vulci and the sea. Still in use in the Renaissance period, it bears the remains of the trachytic stone pavement, and, as in the case of Cavone di Sovana, there is an Etruscan inscription near its outlet on the plateau.<\/p>\n

How to get there<\/h3>\n

The Castro Quarry can be reached from the Antica Citt\u00e0 di Castro Archaeological Park, which can be accessed from the Manciano \u2013 Farnese provincial road.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Etruscan Cave Streets The vie cave are ancient road routes, deeply dug into the tuff, which were built in the Etruscan era and which characterize the south-east area of the lower Maremma in Tuscany, whose villages are also called “Citt\u00e0 del Tufo”. These ancient roads of very ancient origins were reused, enlarged and adapted successively […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8115,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"iawp_total_views":926,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8076","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maremma.name\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maremma.name\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maremma.name\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maremma.name\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maremma.name\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/maremma.name\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8076\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maremma.name\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maremma.name\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}