Beautiful village built on a tuff hill, Sorano is located at the edge of Tuscany, almost in Lazio, in the Area del Tufo, like Pitigliano and Sovana.
Its occupation grew with the Etruscans, occupying the tuff cliff protected by its cliffs where the river flows below.
The Aldobrandeschi lords fortified the village in the Middle Ages, making it a powerful fortress.
Its historic centre is charming and picturesque. It does not lack elegance and originality, the village is often referred to as the «Matera of Tuscany» because of its many troglodyte dwellings and the superb Via Cava, narrow path dug in the cliff in the Etruscan era. For these qualities he won the Bandiera Arancione of the Italian Touring Club.
Historic centre and monuments
The site of Sorano is a great beauty seen from the surroundings, beautiful cluster of stone emerging on its tuff rock at the bend of green gorges.
The medieval streets of the historic center are very pleasant, which is accessed by two main access doors, the Porta di Sopra and the Porta dei Merli (or Porta di Sotto).
Jewish ghetto was established in the area from the 17th century onwards.
The Orsini Fortress is a powerful fortification, built by the Aldobrandeschi. The current building dates back to the 14th century, at the highest point of Sorano. It now houses the Civic Archaeological Museum, which documents the city’s Middle Ages and Renaissance. In the octagonal tower is a beautiful room with frescoes. Part of the building dates from the 16th century, with the central keep and two corner bastions connected by footbridges.
The Masso Leopoldino is a fascinating fortress and emblem of Sorano, located on the spur at the end of the village, which overlooks it although lower than the Orsini fortress, with a terrace and a crenellated tower that also stands out for its bell tower.
The Collegiata di San Nicola is an interesting medieval church, which preserves a 16th-century travertine baptismal font.
Via Cava and hiking
There are several trails around Sorano, including several Etruscan Vie Cave (in English excavated roads).
The Vie Cava di san Rocco that winds through the mountain is a nice thing to discover, carved by the Etruscans in a deep cut into the rock, the walls sometimes reaching 20 meters.
There are nice walks around, for example to reach Sovana or Vitozza.
Vitozza
Almost 5 km from Sorano and 2 km from San Quirico, Vitozza is an important troglodyte site, which can be accessed by beautiful trails. It was a village that existed already in the eleventh century, probably inhabited under the Etruscans, abandoned since the eighteenth century, now one of the largest cave sites in Italy.
It is called “stone city”, with remains of numerous fortifications including the fortress and churches, but also more than 200 caves dug in the tuff of the hill, which served as dwellings, stables or warehouses. There are cisterns, wells, niches, etc. One of the caves called columbarium, has many holes that seem to have been dug for the breeding of pigeons in the Middle Ages.
In the direction of Sorano, a path leads to the source of the stream, a very beautiful place, with bridges and tunnels of the old aqueduct of the nineteenth century, the waterfall, etc.
From the source it is possible to reach Sorano on foot following a marked route of about 5 km.
Surroundings and thermal baths
In addition, the entire territory surrounding Sorano is full of medieval fortifications such as the Castle of Montorio, the fortress of Castell’Ottieri and the castle of Montebuono. Of course, in the Area del Tufo you can discover Pitigliano, Sovana and the lost and rupestrian city of Vitozza already presented.
The Sorano thermal baths are fed by water gushing at 37.5°. Its basin called Bagno dei Frati (Bath of the brothers) dates back to the fifteenth century, having been used by the brothers of the nearby church Pieve di Santa Maria dell’Aquila, now located in the structure. Frequented in the Middle Ages, they were abandoned and recently rehabilitated in the 2000s with a tourist structure.
Guided tours in the surrounding area
Where is Sorano, map
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Links and sources
- General informations : en.wikipedia.org
- Tourist Portals and blogs : www.tuscantrail.com, www.visittuscany.com
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