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Vie Cave

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Archaeological sites

Discovering the ancient roads carved by the Etruscans

The Vie Cave of Sorano and Sovana are large roads carved into the tuff hills, with walls as high as more than 20 meters that lead visitors to discover Etruscan necropolis.

The Vie Cave, within the Tuff City Archaeological Park, are unique in all ancient civilizations. No one knows exactly what they were used for: were they just communication routes, or canals to collect rainwater, or roads used in some religious ceremony?

The mystery of these winding paths, carved into the tuffaceous rock, remains intact, but walking them is a truly unique experience: they once connected the various Etruscan settlements, including necropolises.

Discovering the Vie Cave
Discovering the Vie Cave

Among the most spectacular roads is the Via Cava del Cavone in the Sovana necropolis, more than a kilometer long and up to 4 meters wide, which led toward Mount Amiata. Also here is the Via Cava di San Sebastiano, which, with its walls reaching up to 25 meters in height, winds in a winding route through the woods.

These picturesque places have also recently been discovered by the cinema: in fact, here Matteo Garrone set one of the scenes of his Tale of Tales.