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The next three towns on the route - Pitigliano, Sovana and Sorano, are three southern Tuscan jewels. The roads, hewn out of the hills by the Etruscans, are an experience in themselves. The calcareus tufa retains a lot of water, and the thick, evergreen vegetation, with its fern and ivy, is almost a jungle. Pitigliano looks spectacular perched on a plateu, high above cliffs carved out by the river Lente. The houses seems to grow out of the cliffs, which are riddled with caves cut out of a soft limestone of tufa. It should definitely be viewed from the church of Madonna delle grazie; the town's unique skyline can be seen to its best advantage from there. The Palazzo Orsini has narrow medieval streets in the old part of the town. Its above Etruscan caves, cellar and tombs, lending the place a very special atmosphere. A maze of tiny medieval streets pass through the Jewish ghetto, formed when Jews fleeing from Catholic persecution took refuge here in the 17th century. The village of Sovana lies on the ridge overlooking a broad panorama. It's barely more than a single street, which widens at the centre to form a piazza. Sovana's magnificient romanesque cathedral stands at the end of the village, as does the birthplace of Ildebrando of Sovana, who later became Pope Gregory VII. There are several Etruscan necropoli nearby, most of them rock tombs of the 2nd century BC. Like Pitigliano, the small medieval town of Sorano has an Orsini fortress and several charming narrow streets in its old town. There are numerous rock Etruscan tombs along the road between Sovana and Sorano, and approching the town from this direction is genuinely spectacular. Pitigliano, Sovana, and Sorano have been home to Jewish tradition ever since. These three places are important even because these refuge-townships played a significant role in the survival of this ethnic and religious minority, from time immemorial victim of persecution, forced to suffer discriminations and overwhelmed by the Catholic Church in the XVII century. Pitigliano is also called "the little Jerusalem" thanks to its synagogue and its bakery of unleavened bread. Also a Jewish film festival is hosted here. |
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