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Sovana

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Visit Sovana

Sovana is a small town close to pitigliano in the Province of Grosseto (southern Tuscany). An ancient settlement, Sovana is originally of ancient Etruscan origin (seventh century BC).

It is now listed as one of the 'most beautiful villages of Italy'.

A visit to Sovana can start from the ancient Aldobrandeschi’s Fortress, which was restored in 1572 by Cosimo I de Medici, but which suffered severe damage in the seventeenth century.In the highest part of the walls we can still see some decorative and elegant small-arms dating back to the thirteenth century.

From the Fortress continue along the Via di Mezzo to reach the Piazza del Pretorio, where you can admire the Bourbon del Monte Palace, built in the mid-sixteenth century by Jacopo Barozzi (known as the 'Vignola', 1507-1573), with a Renaissance door, a porch and a large interior garden.

Near the palace there are the remains of the Church of Saint Mamiliano (5th century), the patron saint of Sovana, and built on the ruins of an existing building of Etruscan and Roman origin. Recently restored, it has the typical plan of a Christian church with a nave but without an apse.

Continuing, we find the 14th century Church of Santa Maria. The interior has three naves separated by pilasters supporting large arcs and with a fine 8th century ciborium (altar covering). We can see two frescoes, probably of the school of Andrea Niccolò, a Sienese painter of the first half of the 16th century. The oldest painting shows the 'Madonna and Child Enthroned between Santa Barbara and Saint Lucia' (1508), the other the 'Crucifix of San Antonio and San Lorenzo' (1517 ca).

Back in the square outside it is the 12th century Praetorian Palace that stands out. With a rectangular plan, it has been altered several times, and has a façade decorated with the emblems of the Captains of Justice and the Medici family.

Continuing along the Via di Mezzo we come to the house which, according to tradition, was the house where Hildebrand of Soana was born (see history of Sovana), and, a little further, stands the Cathedral.

Sovana cathedral has an original plan dating back to the second half of the twelfth century, and it consists of three naves separated by arches resting on strong pillars. In the sanctuary stands out an apse and a dome covered outside by an octagonal lantern. The roof, with a cross vault, was built in the 13th century.

The Sovana region also offer tourists a fascinating spectacle in the shape of the Etruscan necropolis. Among the highlights is the so-called Tomb of Silenus, which is located near the Aldobrandeschi’s Fortress (III-II century BC). It consists of a burial chamber with the funerary monument carved into the stone above. The name comes from the discovery of an 'Antefissa' (an ornament of the cornice) depicting Silenus, in greek mythology the comapnion to the wine god Dionysus.

Also well worth a visit is the Tomba della Sirena ['Tomb of the Siren'], so called because the entry is decorated with sculptures in high relief, depicting a mermaid who holds two people. While the other tombs in the necropolis are all very interesting, your itinerary must include a visit to the most famous tomb of Sovana, the 'Ildebranda Tomb', dating from the third-second century BC. The tomb, which has the form of a temple, is dug in the tufa and, as we can see from the remains of stucco, it was finely decorated with some floral and zoo-morphic motifs.

Finally no visit to Sovana, Tuscany will be complete without sampling its famous wines, already known and appreciated by the Etruscans, such as the Red Sovana, a typical wine of Maremma, perhaps accompanied by a local speciality such as the 'Buglione’ of Lamb'.