Pitigliano, Medieval commune in Tuscany, Italy
Pitigliano is a commune in the province of Grosseto in southern Tuscany, built on steep cliffs of volcanic tuff that rise roughly 300 meters above the surrounding valleys. Many houses and cellars are carved directly into the porous rock, giving the town center a layered appearance.
The earliest settlers carved roads and water channels into the tuff in the sixth century BC and left behind Etruscan necropolises. In the 16th century the Medici took over the settlement and built the aqueduct that remains visible today.
Locals sometimes call this place Little Jerusalem, a name that recalls the Jewish community who lived here for centuries and shaped the streets. Today, a bakery still makes kosher bread using old recipes, and the underground ritual bath remains.
You park outside the old walls and walk in, as the narrow alleys are mostly closed to cars. Flat shoes help on the uneven cobblestones and when going up and down through the different levels of the settlement.
Beneath several buildings lie wine cellars carved into the tuff, where temperature stays even throughout the year and favors aging. The cellars are sometimes reached by narrow stairs cut directly from the rock.
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