Creepy Caves and Tufa Tombs in Tuscany

A few weeks ago we stayed at a castle fortress in the town of Sorano, in southern Tuscany. One morning we took a walk on one of the "vie cave" near Sovana, after we left Sorano.

Made thousands of years ago, these narrow pathways form extremely deep rock corridors through the woods above. Rows of caves are cut into the stone cliffs, some 2500 years ago. In some cases these were homes; in others, they are “streets” of tombs called Necropoli – cities of the dead.

The first one we visited was San Sebastiano, which is a very narrow walkway between two sky high walls. It is mind blowing to look up over 20 meters to see the underside of tree roots far above you. At the end of this narrow pathway, there are some very steep steps up to a wood, and a few steps away, a rock "oratorio", which overlooks the walkway below.

Another path in the same woods led to am Etruscan Necropolis - caves used as tombs. Most striking was the Tomb of the Mermaid, at the end of a row of tombs.