Vitozza

The strength of the village’s importance is related to a still unpublished event: in the late nineteenth century, researchers unearthed evidence that Vitozza was once an ancient Etruscan and Roman town, whose history is more than likely linked to the legendary lost Etruscan city of Vetulonia. It would even be possible that this town was also the birthplace of Tarquinia, as mentioned by Pliny the Elder.

One of the largest rock settlements ever discovered is located in the municipality of Sorano, near the River Lente, in the province of Grosseto, and reached in a short time from Punta Ala.
The settlement consists of over 200 caves distributed within the archaeological park absolutely to visit.

It is particular to walk in such a suggestive place that has seen the human presence perhaps already from prehistoric times. The whole area shows the presence of human settlements from the most remote antiquity. You can recognize the holes that housed the poles of the oldest houses, cisterns, funnels, ovens, and several other details of daily life.

It is fascinating to visit the caves, some small but some also two floors large, and see the light door or holes to support the bedding.

Over the centuries, from the initial function of the Etruscan necropolis.
The rock settlement of Vitozza also saw the use of the caves as a dwelling until the 19th century.

In the Middle Ages, the area underwent a strong transformation due to the Senesi and the Orsini’s struggles.

The former had to leave the town in 1455 but do not have to leave it to the opponents; they demolished all the buildings that had been etched then: the walls, the towers, the church, the castle.

At that point, the place became abandoned, and the vegetation obscured its beauty. Today, fortunately, this heritage has been rediscovered and restored. A beautiful archaeological park allows you to visit all the caves within a coppice forest. In addition to the numerous caves, there are visible remains of the walls, a tower, two access gates, and the church’s remains of 1200.

Even when you are on a beach holiday in Punta Ala, you can taste the history and beauties that our territory offers in the surroundings. This settlement is one of the most important found in Italy and has seen different eras’ stratification, as has happened in many other parts.

But the charm of ancient Etruscan civilization still exerts its attraction. Here you can enjoy a beautiful day in the cool to discover the relics of the remote past.