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Tuscania
A
landscape of incredible beauty. From the road you
already see the impressive apse-fortress with its
massive walls. The plain on which the church was
built, on the remains of an Etruscan temple, at
the beginning of the VIIthI century BC., was the
political and religious centre first of the Etruscan,
then of the Roman city. In the Ist and IInd centuries
BC., the area fell under Roman rule and became a
Roman municipality. |
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It
became a Langobard fief in 574 and such remained
such until 787, when Charles the Great gave the
city to Pope Adriano I. In the XIIth century, San
Pietro hill, the most beautiful part of Tuscania,
became a fortified stronghold. |
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Around
the church and the bishops' palace, several defensive
towers were built, three of which are still standing,
to remind people of the strategic importance of
the place. Going from Tuscania towards Montalcino
you will visit Sorano, an Etruscan town full of
history, architecture and little shops and Pitigliano
the largest of the ancient Etruscan cities of Tufa
that make up the hilltowns of the Maremma. |
The
town is the most spectacularly situated in the Fiora
valley. Enjoy the ambiance, the shops, museums,
Duomo and wonder how the buildings don't fall over
the cliff edge. |
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