Vitozza, Archaeological site in Sorano, Italy

Vitozza is an archaeological site in Sorano featuring over 200 caves carved from tuff rock that served as homes, animal shelters, and fortified structures. These spaces spread across a wooded area and reveal layers of different occupation periods.

Vitozza grew from the late 11th century around a castle built by the Aldobrandeschi inside a rock settlement already occupied in Etruscan and Roman times. In the first half of the 13th century it passed briefly to Orvieto and the Baschi, then returned to the Aldobrandeschi and was included in the County of Sovana in 1274. Siena held it from the late 13th century to the mid-15th, after which it passed to the Orsini; the castle was abandoned for unknown reasons, but the caves remained inhabited until the late 18th century.

The caves display different living styles, from simple rectangular openings to multi-level structures, showing how people adapted their homes as time passed. Walking through today, you can see how residents organized their spaces for daily life and survival.

The site can be explored on a marked walking trail that winds through the woodland and connects different areas of the archaeological zone. Comfortable footwear is advisable since the path crosses uneven ground with rocks and earth.

In the north-western part of Vitozza stand dozens of caves called columbaria, cut almost certainly in Roman times and still used through the Middle Ages for pigeon breeding, a practice widespread in the Sorano area. Look for the rows of small niches in the tuff.