Journey through the cities of Tuscany: Sorano

• Travel cities of Tuscany: Sorano

Under the prolonged downpour we go down the path down to the dense thicket near the ancient churches, crossed the bridge and the stone ruins of unknown origin. Ahead, says Card - via cave, the ancient mysterious caves and roads to Etruscan necropolis. Walk in this weather a little pleasant, but more so - in a cemetery, even though he and more than 2 thousand years. From the ancient settlements of the Etruscans who lived here for so long that it is difficult to imagine - in the VIII-II centuries BC - were only the ruins: the endless passages in the tuff rock, the caves and the city of the dead - Necropolis. It is through this reverent and respectful towards the Etruscans to the afterlife, historians, scientists can dream up a little and draw us to the beautiful town in the hills of Tuscany, to tell about this advanced civilization ...

Journey through the cities of Tuscany: Sorano

The barrier in front of the necropolis is blocking my way. Judging from the blurred letters on the sheet of side information, input into Nekropolis closed because of the danger of collapse of the walls and landslides. Of course, all the unknown beckons - so feel free to climb over the barrier and go down to the dungeon. What next - the more grown walls, passageways become narrower. In some places there are traces of destruction - here and there tree roots penetrate into the tuff and destroy the wall. A kilometer walls grow up to ten meters. Covered with thick green moss, they go upstairs to the forest. And I'm standing on a wet slippery stone staircase, which down to the tombs of the Etruscans drove the dead on their wagons. And indeed, after some time I come across a deep eye sockets caves. Archaeologists found here murals, ornaments, figurines - Etruscans did not stint on gifts dead, was no less important for them life after death than life on earth. According to the map, the cave passages ending river. So there is - without going through the fallen trees, already fortified with modern brick walls, I go to the river bank. Here you can breathe freely, to look at even gloomy, but the high sky. Here, at the intersection of three rivers, giant rock rises like a mound, increased to unrealistic proportions. Since the base and to the top of the rock indented passages and caves, and crowned these medieval skyscrapers. It - tuff Sorano.

It is surprising that the Etruscans inhabited the area of modern Tuscany, in the Bronze Age, that is, even before the Romans. These people were rich, sophisticated food and decorations. They were fine engineers - constructed aqueducts, canals for irrigation. Whence they had so much wealth and influence? Scientists suggest that the Etruscans successfully develop iron ore mines and were excellent traders. But it is also affected and their relationship with the neighbors, so permanent trade war with the Greeks, and later the Gauls attack on Etruria greatly weakened it. Dissociation of city-states (sometimes even extends to the local wars) led to tragic consequences: fledgling Roman Empire was not difficult to seize Etruria. And in the first century BC Etruscan world seemed to evaporate.

It is said that history rewrites winner. So what happened to the Etruscans. The Romans conquered their lands, usurped their invention, part of the culture - and now difficult to distinguish what is the culture of the Romans in fact belongs to the Etruscans. All theories about the appearance of the Etruscans in the territory of Tuscany - only guesses. Written sources from the Etruscans left (except for the graffiti), and only the records of the ancient Greeks and Romans can suggest something. Therefore, on this basis even any interesting theories about the relationship of the Etruscans and the Slavs. Fans of alternative history certainly known works Chertkov, Volanskogo, which set out in detail the possible theories of the origin of the Etruscans from the Slavs. Romans and Greeks also frequently mentioned as the Etruscans unusual migrants from the east ... But the Etruscan necropolis - it's not just the caves and tunnels in soft rock. After the death of the Etruscans found themselves in the company of the gods. They believed that the rich and colorful life will continue after death, so far from the big cities, sometimes numbering up to 25 thousand inhabitants, the Etruscans built a mirror of their homes - a beautiful city with a giant clay richly decorated huts, tombs. The Etruscans were deeply religious and believed in many gods, associated with the forces of nature. The priests were the most influential people in this society - the Etruscans were obsessed with the comprehension of the forces of the gods, the forces of nature. Sacrifice, divination through the sky, divination of animal liver were normal, and besides, there are special rules and interpretation of natural phenomena.

And we will come back again to the shore of the river near the town of Sorano. Near it are equally well-known city of Sovana and Pitigliano. they are all very similar to each other, and the corridors in the rocks, via cave can sometimes go from city to city. For some of them you can even drive a car.

Tuff city like growing out of rocks. After the disappearance of the Etruscan civilization, the story of their clear at a glance. From the VIII century AD, the city belonged to the Lombards, and the IX century became part of the lands of the Duke of Aldobrandeschi. By the end of the XIII century the city came under the rule of the Orsini and from the 17th century, they have already fallen under the rule of the Medici, sweeping the whole Tuscany. Now they are on the territory of Tuscany, close to Grosseto, not far from the famous Italian undulating hills, which owe their landscape was the Etruscans.

City Sorano stands out among its neighbors: it is especially noticeable pressure of time. City breaks, it dies. The rock on which stands Sorano, has not expressed a smooth plateau - so the houses built here as a continuation of the rock. From the side it seems that if they merged with it. Rocky ledges interspersed with tall skyscrapers buildings. Some of them collapses and falls with pieces of rocks. Time destroys the city. Sorano streets far from Paradise Italian courtyard. It feels damp, mold, cold walls. Many houses have been destroyed and abandoned by the owners. Above the houses walls towering rock fortress Massa Leopoldino. It turns out that this is not man-made structure, a combination of nature and human labor. In the XIX century there was no fortress - the city highest peak towering piece of tuff rock. And because tuff rock is very soft, volcanic, so over time, this rock started to collapse, literally falling on the roofs below it. And people are "reanimated" the rock, skived top, polished wall. Now, the rock looks like a real castle with unusual shapes!