Sovana

In the heart of Tuscany's tufa country, on the left bank of the Fiora, this village was the birthplace of Pope Gregory VII. Etruscan in origin and later capital of the Aldobrandeschi county, it was reduced by plague to just 24 inhabitants in 1702, and its archaeology revived it in the 20th century. Visitors come for the Romanesque churches around Piazza del Pretorio, the cathedral and the Etruscan necropolis.

Highlights

• The Romanesque cathedral, with biblical scenes carved on its capitals and an ancient crypt
• Santa Maria Maggiore and its rare pre-Romanesque stone ciborium
• The remains of the Rocca Aldobrandesca: a portal, a tower and some walls
• The Etruscan necropolis, in the archaeological area around the village (IT)
• San Mamiliano museum, in the church where nearly 500 gold coins were found

Text adapted from Wikipedia (Sovana (IT), Sovana (EN)), Wikivoyage (Sovana). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.