Toscana Terra Etrusca Tourist and Cultural Itineraries Discovering the Etruscans in Southern Tuscany
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Toscana Terra Etrusca Tourist and cultural itineraries discovering the Etruscans in Southern Tuscany #toscanaterraetrusca ENG Discovering the Etruscans The cultural, artistic and architectural traces left in Southern Tuscany by the Etruscans - a people that has always been portrayed as enigmatic and mysterious - are still an integral part of the history, cities and landscapes of that which once was the very heart of Etruria. A heritage that is still largely accessible to visit, get to know and explore in the extraordinary villages founded by the Etruscan people, thanks also to a system of museums and archaeological sites scattered throughout the nature and landscapes of Tuscany. The means, eras and territories through which Etruscan civilisation developed in Tuscany are multiple, at least as many as the itineraries proposed to take you on a discovery of this people of farmers, urban planners, metalworkers, warriors, artists, traders, navigators, artisans and travellers. Visits include museums and archaeological sites of the Councils adhering to Toscana Terra Etrusca and the Regional Management of Museums in Tuscany. The archaeological museums and sites are part of the following museum systems: • Valdichiana Musei > www.valdichianamusei.it • Musei di Maremma > www.museidimaremma.it • Fondazione Musei Senesi > www.museisenesi.org • Direzione Regionale Musei della Toscana > www.polomusealetoscana.beniculturali.it SARTEANO, Tomb of the Quadriga Infernale For information, bookings and other experiences to introduce you to the unique aspects of each area (e.g., trekking, guided tours, wine and cuisine, workshops, art), you can refer directly to the tourist information offices and individual museums and archaeological sites, or the regional portal #toscanaterraetrusca visittuscany.com 3 The water roads - Itinerary 1 4 Index Dedicated to the Etruscans’ profound relationship with water, experiencing wellbeing and nature The stone roads - Itinerary 2 6 A leap into the past in the mysterious primordial paths of the heart of Etruria The wine roads - Itinerary 3 8 Discovering the wines of the land of the Etruscans between archaeology and millennia of traditions The olive oil roads - Itinerary 4 10 The yellow gold of Etruria: from the land to the table via ancient relics The grain roads - Itinerary 5 12 On the tracks of the golden grains, cities and relics in the cultivated lands of the Etruscans The roads of the Etruscans’ sacred mountains - Itinerary 6 14 Discovering the Etruscans’ sacred mountains: an itinerary in Amiata, Val di Chiana, Val d’Orcia and Maremma immersed in uncontaminated nature The roads of the land and sea - Itinerary 7 16 From the heart of Etruria to the sea: trade routes and travelling in the Ombrone valley Etruscan passion - Itinerary 8 18 An Etruscan epic through cities, museums and archaeological sites in Southern Tuscany CHIUSI, The Monkey Tomb Tourist information offices 20 Etruscan Museums and parks 22 Each museum or archaeological site offers guided visits in foreign languages, didactic workshops for example on the working of ceramics, the Etruscan language, goldsmithing, Etruscan banquets and much more, depending on the students’ ages. You can also combine your visit to museums and archaeological parks with treks and nature walks with specialised environmental guides. 5 ITINERARY 1 STAGES Chiusi Sarteano Chianciano Terme CASTIGLIONE D’ORCIA, Bagni San Filippo The water roads Montepulciano San Quirico d’Orcia Discovering the Etruscans’ relationship with water, Castiglione d’Orcia the foundation of life and civilisation (Bagni San Filippo) San Casciano dei Bagni 1 2 3 ater: a vital element for all civilisa- CHIUSI SARTEANO CHIANCIANO TERME Wtions, essential for everyday life, Labyrinth of Porsenna Quadriga Infernale Archaeological Museum it was for the Etruscans as for other of Chianciano Terme peoples, a sacred object of worship. This itinerary explores the places where Etruscans and other ancient peoples exploited the precious thermal springs, rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Underneath Chiusi winds am intricate 4 5 6 7 system of tunnels that you can explore Lake of CHIUSI MONTEPULCIANO SAN QUIRICO D’ORCIA CASTIGLIONE D’ORCIA SAN CASCIANO DEI during a visit to the Labyrinth of Porsen- Chianciano Terme, the perfect destina- Lake of Montepulciano Bagno Vignoni Bagni San Filippo BAGNI na or the “the Underground City” Civic Bagno Grande tion for wellbeing of the body. For more museum, relics of the capillary stor- information on the Etruscan civilisation, age of waters; relaxing on the banks of in Sarteano you can find the Civic Muse- the lakes of Montepulciano and Chiusi um of Archaeology and the Tomb of the (both sites of great community impor- Quadriga Infernale, shrouded in legend tance, linked to the Sentiero della Boni- and ancient beauty. 4 fica [Path of the Reclaimed Land], which runs for more than 60km between Chi- Montepulciano usi and Arezzo and which can also be 5 3 travelled by bike) we can take in an en- San Quirico chanting natural habitat already known ARCHEO TREKKING Chianciano d’Orcia Terme to the Etruscans who used to exploit its agricultural resources. Used for thou- 1 THE “WHITE WHALE” sands of years, the small baths of hot Chiusi water in Bagni San Filippo are enclosed Length: 10.5 km / Difficulty level: easy by magical white limestone formations Departure point: Bagni San Filippo 2 The Val d’Orcia, an apparently gentle land, such as the striking Fosso Bianco, also Sarteano known as the “White Whale”. In Bagno instead hides strong, intense natural forces that have always conditioned its landscape Vignoni, on the other hand, you can and the life of those who have inhabited it admire the extraordinary basin in the over the years. This brief but intense itin- 6 centre of the little village, still today a erary unveils these natural forces: you can thermal treasure trove. Just a little fur- hear the gurgling of the volcanic gas of the Bagni ther south, in San Casciano dei Bagni, river waters, see the intense colours of the San Filippo people have known about the therapeu- land and finally be peacefully lulled by the 7 tic properties of the mineral-thermal beneficial, hot sulphurous waters of the nat- ural baths under the small village of Bagni waters since ancient times, just like in San Casciano San Filippo. dei Bagni 6 7 ITINERARY 2 STAGES Castiglione della Pescaia (Vetulonia) Grosseto (Roselle) The stone roads Monte Argentario Capalbio A leap into the past in six legs taking in the civilisation, Pitigliano urban planning and architecture of Etruscan cities Sorano in the heart of Tuscany 1 CASTIGLIONE DELLA PESCAIA Vetulonia PITIGLIANO, panorama visit to Etruscan monuments in Tus- Acan villages is a unique experience. Starting from the beauty of Mount Ar- gentario, a promontory wedged deeply in the sea, we find Porto Ercole, a sea town that owes the origins of its name to the Etruscans themselves. We pass through 2 4 5 6 Capalbio, the last village of the Maremma, GROSSETO CAPALBIO PITIGLIANO SORANO Roselle Panorama Necropolis of San (Sovana) Vie cave the fortified medieval village strategically Giovanni placed on the coastal plain. We then leap GROSSETO, Roselle Archaeological Area into the “città del tufo”: Sorano, Sovana and Pitigliano; the latter - known as “Lit- representative Etruscan cities, just like in tle Jerusalem” because of its long-stand- Vetulonia, with its splendid necropolises ing Jewish community – is home to the and graves which blend in harmoniously Roselle with the surrounding landscape. Town Archaeological Museums, demon- 2 strating all its splendour not only in the 1 Grosseto Roman aqueduct but also in the open-air Castiglione “Alberto Manzi” Archaeological Museum della Pescaia 6 where you can visit the reconstruction ARCHEO TREKKING Sorano of an Etruscan home and the rocky ne- cropolises from archaic and Hellenistic times. In Sorano you simply must visit ARGENTARIO, 5 the Vie Cave: mysterious passages in FAR FROM THE CROWDS the tufa rock to be explored by foot, en- Length: 15 km / Difficulty level: medium Pitigliano joying the shadow-plays and fairy-tale Departure point: Porto Ercole primordial views. A short distance from The itinerary crosses the luxurious woods of the the “Cavone” Via Cava you can visit the southern side of the Argentario promontory and spectacular Ildebranda Tomb, dug out of starting from the historical centre of Porto Ercole the tufa rock: one of the most important reaches the Monastery of the Presentation in the funerary monuments in Etruria. Temple known as the Monastery of the Passion- Continuing north-west, we find Roselle, ists. The itinerary takes us across the Leopoldine 4 aqueduct – by now enveloped in the Mediterra- where time seems to have stopped still: nean scrub - several times, and after a climb that 3 Capalbio in this archaeological site you can let never ceases to surprise, you arrive at the highest your mind wander to one of the most point of the excursion from where you can enjoy Monte Argentario a breath-taking view of the entire lagoon. 8 ITINERARY 3 STAGES Cortona 1 Torrita di Siena CORTONA Montepulciano Etruscan Lamp, MAEC San Quirico d’Orcia The wine roads Castiglione d’Orcia Discovering the wines of the land of the Etruscans Pitigliano in ten legs between archaeological relics Scansano and millennia-long traditions Grosseto (Roselle) Gavorrano 2 Civitella Paganico TORRITA DI SIENA Vin santo of GAVORRANO, panorama ine is a precious treasure that the Montefollonico WEtruscans produced in large quan- tities and traded throughout