Secret of the Etruscans: Pitgliano, Sovana and Sorano

We had a wonderful time in Rome but were very much looking forward to seeing Italy outside the hustle and bustle of the capital. Strange local customs and a very early train out of Rome led to a nerve wracking experience. When we got home from the Vatican late Friday night we realized that you cannot buy bus tickets in Rome on a bus (because that would make too much sense). Instead you can only buy tickets from a tobacco shop or from metro ticket dispensers that are scattered throughout the city.

A quick google search revealed we were quite far from any metro ticket stations and while we were near many tobacco/newsstands there was no guarantee they would be open at 6am. The sleep was short and full of worry. We set out to catch the bus for the train at 6am and sure enough, nothing was open. Much to our horror, we got on the bus … without a ticket. Anxiety and paranoia filled each of the 10 minutes to the train station as we expected to get caught and fined. We were more than willing to pay for a 1 Euro ticket but there was nowhere to buy one. The bus filled with more and more people. Including a priest who didn't validate a ticket on the bus (it is also possible to validate tickets at the stop themselves once you have one). In the end we made it to the station without being hauled off by the local police but it was quite an adrenaline filled way to start the morning!

We set off for Grosseto, a seaside town in Southern Tuscany where we had reservations to pick up a rental car. Part of the reason for the stupidly early train was that the rental car location was only open 9-12 on Saturday and closed on Sundays. There was a later train that would get us to Grosseto at 11 but that was risky because any delays could leave us stranded. Some might wonder why on Earth we took a train somewhere else to get a car when surely there are rental car agencies in Rome. Italian city drivers are crazy. We nearly got hit by a car half a dozen times during our 2013 trip in Nice (which was packed with Italian tourists.) We had heard too many horror stories about driving in Rome to set ourselves up for a no doubt frustrating experience. My former coworker Amber, an adventurous traveler who had no qualms about being in Kenya (where they had to get the under-carriage of their car checked for explosives each time they went to go anywhere) told me that she would never rent a car in Europe again after driving in Rome.

Photos from the drive

We picked up the rental car without issue. Since neither Sean nor I know how to drive stick, we specifically reserved an automatic car which guaranteed us a premium vehicle with all the bells and whistles (Some quite literally. Every time the sides of the car got close to anything they would beep incessantly and the screen would show a cartoon of where on the car was in close proximity). The drive from Grosseto to Pitigliano was beautiful and quiet. The highways out of Grosseto had good signage similar to our experiences driving in Spain. Once we left the main freeway and started on the roads inland we were often the only car on the road. The drive was tranquil and offered sea views near the coast, pastoral plains and sun-drenched vineyards. As we approached the last 30-40 minutes of the drive it got very hilly and the roads became very winding. I am prone to motion sickness and was cursing myself for not packing Dramamine. It reminded me a bit of a car commercial a few years ago where the guy is given the option to choose the road and he chooses the one with an S curve. It was like that same choice was made over and over again. There was no painted center so even in the front seat, I felt queasy. It was all worth it however when we turned one corner in particular and saw this.

Photo of Pitigliano taken from outside the city

In the distance was a fortified city built into the cliffs. Pitigliano is a historically Jewish settlement. It had been referred to as "Little Jerusalem". The area has been inhabited since Etruscan times (before the Roman empire) and has many ruins of this mysterious civilization. This was part of our reason for venturing to the area. The geology of the area is unique, made up of large porous rock called tuff (tufo in Italian) created from volcanic ash (likely from volcanic eruptions 100,000-200,000 years ago). In addition to the rocky outcrops the area has densely forested hills and pastoral low lands.

We arrived at our agritouismo San Giacomo. The location was about a mile or two from the cute tiny town of Sovana and 4-5 miles outside Pitigliano. Located on a sprawling vineyard (that produces its own wine), the property has a small restaurant and a few houses divided into tiny apartments each with their own terrace. The accommodations were charming and rustic.

Photos of our accommodations including visits from our new furry friends

  Our hosts spoke very little English but enough to get by. We arranged for dinner that night (Saturday) and for breakfast for Sunday and Monday. There were two breakfast options explained to us in broken English from a German woman visiting our hosts. She said there is an Italian breakfast that is coffee, fruit, and cakes. All sweets. Or a 'salad breakfast', I assume this was directly translated from the Italian word Insalata which experience has shown us is not necessarily a salad with greens. The 'salad breakfast' would include some kind of meat and eggs in addition to the sweets. We both prefer to have some protein in the mornings so we opted for the salad breakfast.

Sunday Morning 'salad breakfast'

The weather in Rome had been perfect all week. Never warmer than 80 degrees and sunny with not a cloud in the sky. However the forecast for our two days in Pitigliano included a very rainy Sunday with thunderstorms. Not wanting to lose out on valuable sight-seeing time we headed out to hike the Via Cave (ancient Etruscan tunnels carved into the volcanic tuff). There are many trails in the area but we opted to start at an archeological park that for a small fee provided maps of all the vie cave and included passage to an Etruscan Necropolis with several Etruscan tombs.

Left: Necropolis photos
Right: Park Map and Via Cave

The Etruscans were a group of people living before the Roman Empire. Their history has been all but erased. There is little to no written records of their culture. Few structures have survived as ruins leaving them a bit shrouded in mystery. The Via Cave are tunnels bore through the porous rock. The purpose of these channels is unclear. It is possible they were used for transportation, ceremonial purposes or water flow (drainage/irrigation). The passages are narrow with walls of moss covered rock on either side. The porous stone allowing small chestnut trees to grow through. Chestnut trees are everywhere in the forested areas of Tuscany. A quick google search reveals this is largely due to the Roman Empire planting chestnut trees ALL over the Mediterranean in areas where cereal grains could not grow. The chestnut was the main carbohydrate in the area until potatoes were introduced.

Upper: Photos from the Necropolis
Lower: Photos of the Vie Cave

For a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the archeological park was very empty only a few Italian families and French tourists milling about. The site included an impressive columned façade carved into the rocks although only one column remained. The tricky thing about building with Tuff is that the porous nature allows water to erode the rock from the inside out. It is remarkable the ruins have survived this long. Nothing built from this stone could hope to last forever. Much like the Egyptians each of the rooms of the walled city of the dead included human remains and pottery (now housed in various museums throughout Italy and the world). One site included many small circular burial plots like flat disks.

Our experience in Spain taught us how difficult it can be to get provisions and services on Sundays. Expecting torrential downpours and thunder on Sunday only reduced our desire to venture out for a meal. Sean offered to cook so we headed to the medieval city of Pitigliano. The road into the town is steep and narrow. There is parking along one side of the cliff with the actual city accessible only by foot across the highway. We were reminded of Les Eyzies France, the tiny tourist town population 1000 with 4 foie gras shops. Pitigliano had half a dozen or more wine shops. We stopped at a cooperative that sold locally produced wine, olive oil, cheese, meat, and dried pasta. We picked up most of what we needed for a meal except bread. When we asked the woman where in town to buy bread she looked at the clock and then shook her head. Indeed the only paneria in town was closed. Much like Spain most shops are open in split shifts with a long break in the middle of the day. A little after 3pm was no time to get bread. The bread store only open in the morning and then again after 5. So we went home without bread.

Photos of Pitigliano

From the wine cooperative we purchased all local bottles including a couple DOC wines (Sovana and Bianca di Pitigliano). At the time we didn’t understand what it meant. We just thought DOC wines were good wines but it was not until our Tuscan wine tour that we learned how Italian wines are named and labelled. We got a couple bottles of red and white both with grape varietals we were not familiar with (Ciliegiolo and Trebbiano). I will talk more about DOC wines in an upcoming blog post dedicated to Tuscan wines.

Around 8pm we had a beautiful home-cooked meal at our agritourismo. In true Italian fashion, it was a 5 course extravaganza. At $30 per person including wine, tax, tip and coffee it was by far the best valued meal.

Rustic Tuscan Dinner

It started with a cup of warm pumpkin soup and a variety of antipasti (tuna stuffed peppers, chicken liver pate on toast, selection of salted and cured meats, and pickled zucchini). The antipasta was followed by the pasta, a vegetable lasagna. I have many memories of eating Stoffer’s vegetable lasagna from Costco as a kid and until that night, I had no idea it was a real dish in Italy. I always assumed it was a weird vegetarian alternative to real lasagna but sure enough here it was crispy and homemade with garden fresh vegetables. The main course was a slow roasted pork shank shiny in its own fat, marinated tomato slices and baked zucchini. Each with fresh herbs from the garden. It was clear the menu was based on what was available from the garden. The meal ended with a sweet dry cake followed by an espresso. It was quite the feast. Rustic and delicious. We felt very privileged to have such an opportunity to dine so intimately.

The weather forecasters in Italy certainly earned their dues as Sunday morning was a deluge complete with thunder and lightning. When it rains in Italy it pours. We had a languid breakfast with three different types of cake, coffee, fruit, sliced meat, herbed eggs and marinated tomatoes served with American style coffee. We relaxed on the covered terrace in the morning watching the storm roll in. By mid-afternoon the worst of it seemed over. The skies dark but dry. We decided to go for a drive and hit the nearby towns of Sovana and Sorano.

Photos from Sovana (Upper Left) and Sorano (All others)

Sovana, the closer of the two towns has a population of 100. The entire two street town is dedicated to tourists. The area seems like a popular day or weekend trip for nearby Rome and Florence. The charming cobble-stoned city sits high on a hill and its two streets with large villas include many artisanal craft shops with homemade pottery, jewelry, and art. There was a small Etruscan museum and of course a church. The rain had driven everyone indoors and we walked the streets alone. In 10 minutes we had seen the whole place and headed to the large city of Sorano.

Sorano is a true tourist destination. As we were leaving a tour bus braved the winding climb to the top to deposit Italian and French tourists. The city has several historical markers guiding people to the top of a fortress with an impressive view of the landscape. There is also several churches and museums in town.

Compared to Rome where every attraction had a throng of tourists the quiet pace of the countryside was a welcomed change. In addition we were the only English speaking tourists we came across. It was cool to see something off the beaten path with such a rich and storied history.

We headed back to the agritourismo where Sean made pasta with a fresh sausage ragu. While we were unable to buy bread in town our hosts were kind enough to give us a few fresh tomatoes from their garden and some leftover bread. We also purchased some of the house made wine. Another fine meal.

On Monday morning we headed back to Grosseto to return the car and catch the train to Florence (Firenze as it is called in Italy). Our three days in Florence was quite the whirlwind experience we had far too much on our must-do list and not enough time. Stay tuned for the next two posts on Florence, one on sightseeing and meals and the other on Chianti Classico DOCG wine and the Opera!