Pitigliano

For a long time now, the municipality of Pitigliano has been included in the list of the most beautiful villages in Italy by the National Association of Italian Municipalities, because of its splendid historic center and its heritage
historical and architectural.

It presents itself to the traveler in a fairy-tale setting, standing on the ridge of a promontory of evocative and wild beauty, the evidence of its civilizations and cultures that have succeeded one another here over millennia,
beginning with the prehistoric settlements, evidenced by the findings of the Aeneolithic, moving on to the evident Etruscan traces, admirable in the tombs found in the territory and in the city walls, and then to the Romans, whose passage has left traces in the name alluding to the ancient Gens Petilia, then it was the turn of the medieval era of the Aldobrandeschi family, lords of the Maremma for about half a millennium, then the Renaissance grandeur of the noble Roman Orsini family, and, after a brief Sienese presence, it was the turn of the Medici and their heirs Lorena.

Through the ancient gate located in Petruccioli Square we enter the historic center. The endless series of alleys, narrow streets, small stairways, and overlooks that overhang the cliff below make it a unique and enchanting place. From Petruccioli Square, walking along the aqueduct to the left, you reach the entrance to the Orsini Palace, which originally belonged to the Aldobrandeschi counts and passed to the Orsini family in 1313. This palace-fortress was intended to defend the only side of the village connected to the plain, in the remaining three sides in fact Pitigliano is protected by the steep cliffs overlooking the valley.

The Orsini Palace was practically overturned during the 16th-century renovation by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. Inside today we find the Archaeological Museum, the Orsini Palace Museum, the Diocesan Archives and the Library. The courtyard with the monumental hexagonal well decorated with bas-reliefs depicting coats of arms of the Orsini family is also interesting.
Famous Jewish ghetto the beautiful village has in fact gone down in history as the “Little Jerusalem.” The settlement of the Jewish community in the town of Pitigliano probably took place in the 16th century under the protection of the Orsini counts. With the subsequent handover of the county to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany under Cosimo II dei Medici (1608), the situation changed radically and the difficult years began with closure in the ghetto, discrimination and marginalization that persisted until 1765.
The Synagogue, located in Vicolo Manin, founded in 1598, underwent some interventions after the mid-1800s with the superimposition of Rococo stucco and only after the last renovation in 1995 did it
rediscovered the ancient classical expression. Inside you can visit the sacred furnishings with the Aron on the back wall and the Teva in the center. In addition, numerous chandeliers hang from the ceiling adorned with biblical inscriptions or epigraphs of special events. In the upper part, behind an inlaid wooden balustrade, is the women’s women’s matroneum, while in the lower part is the ritual bathing room and, carved into the
rock, the kosher butcher shop, the unleavened bread oven, the kosher wine cellar, and the dry cleaners. To visit the Synagogue we recommend that you contact the Municipality of Pitigliano, tel. 0564 616322 for hours and information.

Pitigliano Quarry Roads

The Vie Cave, also called “cuts,” are a still little-known creation of the Etruscans.
These fascinating roadways carved open in the tuff hills have no comparison in other civilizations of the ancient world. Because of this, numerous assumptions have been made about their real function: canals to convey rainwater from the plains to the valleys, simple communication routes, strategic passages designed against enemies, ceremonial paths, and so on…
Within the Città del Tufo Archaeological Park, the Sorano and Sovana Cave Routes lead visitors to discover the Etruscan necropolis.
Walking in the “tagliate,” between tufa walls as high as more than twenty meters, is an emotion impossible to describe.Walking these Ways, immersed in an evocative and unspoiled natural environment, allows you to immerse yourself in a magical atmosphere, in contact with the subsoil and with an “other” dimension. The Etruscans, although they were often seen by their contemporaries as an immoral people, perhaps simply because they had a different culture, were men who were able to make the most of the land in front of them. They had, in fact, a great ability to adapt to the situations and environments in which they lived. If we look at the settlement of Tarquinia for example, the tombs were completely different from what we find here in the Upper Maremma. So different that one would think they were made by different peoples.
How come this diversity? In the territory of the Upper Maremma there is a peculiar element that accompanied the life of the Etruscans in all its phases: tuff. We are facing a volcanic rock generated by eruptions dated approximately between one million and four hundred thousand years ago from the volcano located in present-day Lake Bolsena. We should not forget that in those years, the area was considered the largest volcanic basin in Europe and permeated by fervent volcanic activity.
This rock immediately took center stage in the daily life of the ancient people. It is a heterogeneous, friable and very light rock, so it is easy to shape and transport.
The inhabitants of 2,500 years ago made this rock their main wealth: they began to dig its bowels with ease to build dwellings, animal shelters and, of course, burial grounds for burying their dead or the sacred communication routes that are the subject of this in-depth study.
The Hollow Streets were not built along natural drainage channels, as they may appear to the untrained eye, but are totally artificial excavations dictated by other purposes.
The excavation technique draws heavily on the Egyptian people. A series of holes were dug “in the rock which were then filled with a large wedge of dry wood and finally filled with water. The effect of the swelling of the wood caused a piece of rock to blow up, and by repeating the operation an infinite number of times, it was possible to obtain large cuts that were then smoothed out and smoothed with picks.”
Inside it, gutters were made on the sides of the road to expel water. The Via Cava, due to the continuous passage of humans and animals, and being an easily eroded rock, was in constant need of maintenance, continuous leveling. This is precisely why today we have Hollow Streets as deep as 25 to 30 meters, when perhaps in Etruscan times it was only a couple of meters.
But what was the purpose of the Hollow Ways? Even today, historians have not found an unambiguous solution. Certainly in the Middle Ages they were used as communication routes, but they were also used in the time
Of the Etruscans? Could they simply have been excavated to shorten the paths between centers? Recall that the original Hollow Ways were not so high and deep. Those we see today are the result of an overlapping of several periods of excavation, necessary to smooth and adjust the walking surface from the problems of erosion of the tuff due to the passage of men and animals (as in the Via Cava di San Rocco or San Giovanni). If we look carefully at the walls these different periods of excavation jump out at us. In the upper part, in fact, the excavation is more finished with Etruscan-era inscriptions; in the middle part, medieval-era inscriptions are found; and in the lower part, the rougher, unfinished cut can be recognized.
What if instead of thoroughfares they were sacred paths? If you notice carefully they often wind along the necropolis, the area of Etruscan tombs. Moreover, let us remember that religion, for the Etruscans, was unquestionably a fundamental component of their society. What if in addition to being a pathway with the purpose of getting to the burial areas but is itself a sacred work? The large number of carved symbols and inscriptions may be evidence of this. A discovery made in 1912 by Francesco Merlini is tilting the needle toward this hypothesis.
Visiting on foot or on horseback with picnic in tow is sure to be an unforgettable day.

Events

Major events in Pitigliano.

From the Torciata di San Giuseppe in March to the famous Infiorata in June, via the Festa del Contadino, which takes place the first weekend of August to Calici di Stelle, an unmissable event dedicated to wine and typical Pitigliano products, and the Festa della Contea, a historical reconstruction held in the second half of the month. We then come to Settembre DiVino the famous festival in the tufa cellars, which attracts thousands of visitors to the village every year, and end with Christmas in Pitigliano, with lots of initiatives and events to celebrate the most magical holiday of the year all together.

Where to Eat

Hostaria del Ceccottino

In warm weather stopping to eat in this beautiful square is already worth the stop, in addition to the good meat for those who like a Tuscan tagliata or Fiorentina steak and the excellent local cheese boards.

Hosteria of Pantalla

Halfway between Pitigliano and Farnese we find this Hosteria where you can taste dishes prepared by Mrs. Lucia with products from her garden and seasoned with the family oil, genuine flavors and dishes expertly prepared as tradition dictates.