We visited Pitigliano this morning. Pitigliano is an ancient cliff top village, sitting on tufa rock that has been carved up with tunnels and caves. There are hundreds of carved shallow caves used as garages and storage, all around Pitigliano, thought to be carved by the Etruscans. Our first stop was at a panificcio for pastries. We ate them just outside the city gate, with a long view of the city on the cliff. We entered the city, with the Medicaen aqueduct on one side and the Palazzo Orsini on the other. We visited the Chiesa di San Rocco and the Duomo and walked to the Etruscan built Porta Sovana. We made a circle of the city and just as we were leaving, I took a photo of a string of cars driving up the curving road to Pitigliano. All the cars were antique! We waited for them, and they drove through the gate and into Piazza Fortezza to a band of drummers. The Caravana Romantica, international classic and vintage cars, stopped in Pitigliano on their 8 day Touring Rally through Tuscany. It was a treat for us to see!
We drove just a few miles north to Citta del Tufo Archaeological Park, near Sovana. We saw Etruscan tombs and burial caves carved from 800 to 200 BC, and several Via Cavas, roadways carved through tufa rock to connect villages. The Via Cavas are up to 50’ deep and curve up hills. We were amazed! We walked through Sovana, stopping at its castle ruins, with a long wall covered in red poppies.
Our last stop of the day was in Sorano, another hilltop town that began with the Etruscans or earlier. Since the 14th century, the Orsini Castle has topped the hill. Sorano is a pristine ancient city, with views down to a river valley below and large rock outcroppings filled with holes carved by the Etruscans. We are seeing things we’ve not known of before, learning every day!
As we drove toward Sermugnano, we saw this view of our little town through a nearby vineyard.
After we returned from our day’s travels, we heard voices speaking English outside in the tiny piazza in front of our little castle. I went out and asked what they were doing. Several took photos of me by the front door. It seems they are a group of people spending a week in the village at a storytelling workshop. Coming to our piazza was part of their learning experience for the day and they were going back to tell their stories. They invited us to come visit their workshop. We’re going tomorrow! A few minutes after they left our bell rang, and two young women from the group asked if they could come inside the castle for a peak. They were from Hungary and Portugal and stayed to talk for a bit. Just after they left, the bell rang again and it was our landlord, Patrizia. She came by to meet us and to bring some plants for the balcony. Patrizia lives in Rome with her husband. She started buying up property in the area about 20 years ago and now owns over 500 acres with several rentals. Patrizia is in her 70’s and full of energy. She drives over to Sermugnano every week to check on her properties and employees. After talking about 15 minutes about her own story, she suddenly asked us, “do you like Trump?” She does not and had plenty to say. It wasn’t the first time on this trip that we’ve gotten an earful about the U.S.
