L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2019 L'Italo-Americano FRANCESCA BEZZONE T he Etruscans are one of the most fascinat- ing pre-Roman civi- l i z a t i o n s b u t , p u z - zlingly, also one of those we know the least about: the real Etruscan mystery is that of their origin and of their l a n g u a g e , b o t h o f w h i c h r e m a i n l a r g e l y u n k n o w n , i n s p i t e o f t h e m a n y t h e o r i e s a d v a n c e d t h r o u g h o u t t h e decades. But that doesn't mean they d i d n ' t l e a v e a p l e t h o r a o f archaeological vestiges for us to admire, study and enjoy, symbol and vision of the height of cul- ture and knowledge they had reached. We usually hear about t h e i r n e c r o p o l i s , a n d a b o u t t o w n s l i k e V o l t e r r a , i n t h e province of Pisa, that once was part of the Etruscan League. Not as famous are, however, their Vie Cave. Vie Cave mean literally "hol- low, excavated roads," and they look like under-the-sky stone corridors traversing the area comprised within Pitigliano, S o v a n a a n d S o r a n o , i n t h e southern part of Tuscany we all know as Maremma. Majestic and imposing, just as if Ulysses' cyclops traveled to Tuscany to carve them out of tufa, they rep- resent an important historical and cultural attraction. But what are they, exactly? Le Vie Cave — there are a few dozens of them — are walk- aways carved in stone: they are usually between 2 and 4 meters wide and can be up to a kilome- ter long (just a bit short of half a mile), while the height of their rock walls can reach 25 meters. Walking through them is a mag- i c a l e x p e r i e n c e f o r m a n y , immersed as they are in nature, with tree branches often creating a leafy roof above them, the sunlight dimly shining through. A n d i f y o u p a y a t t e n t i o n enough, you'll notice there are carvings along their walls, too, secrets etched in stone, mirror to a p a s t t h a t , w e h a v e s a i d , r e m a i n s i n l a r g e p a r t s t i l l o b s c u r e . W h a t ' s e v e n m o r e interesting is that you won't find anything like them anywhere else on earth. It is a world of suggestive atmospheres, that of the Vie Cave and, like much of what we know about the Etruscans they, too, hold mysteries within. To b e g i n w i t h , w e d o n ' t k n o w exactly what their function was. Some believe they were ways of communications, and while they were certainly used as such, we don't know whether they were conceived as roads or not. It remains the fact that many of them offer a shortcut through the countryside to reach a vil- lage or another, while others connect urban settlements to old Etruscan necropolis. Other theo- ries say they were supposed to be defensive systems, but the most fascinating theory of all, certainly, is the one that wants them to be ritual or funerary monuments, as the tombs found inside their walls seem to bear witness to. Whichever their ancestral meaning, it is incredible to think they were created so long ago, w i t h o u t t h e u s e o f m o d e r n machinery and only with the sheer strength of human hands and, possibly, the help of ani- mals for transport, even if tufa is a relatively soft stone to carve when wet. Archeologists believe the Vie Cave didn't always look the way they do today: in fact, it is possi- ble that their bottom part, that where people would walk, used to be much higher than it is now. The Vie Cave's depth we see today is probably the result of successive excavation processes carried out to smooth out their surface, often damaged by natur- al erosion and use. Each Via Cava has specific characteristics: the Via Cava "del Cavone," for instance, was without a doubt used with funer- ary purposes, as attested by the many archaic funerary chambers along its walls. S u c h a m e s m e r i z i n g a n d m y s t e r i o u s m o n u m e n t , o f course, did attract the attention of Man way before our genera- tions: and so, you shouldn't be surprised to learn that, in the Middle Ages, people used to d r a w a n d c a r v e p r o t e c t i v e images on their walls and that many a niche were created to hold holy images and statuettes, as a sign of protection for travel- ers. The Vie Cave are also inter- esting from a natural point of view: because of their conforma- tion, they developed a peculiar microclimate where the flora typical of shady and humid envi- ronments can thrive. Lichens, moss, ivy, ferns: emerald and dusty greens fading into each other in a beautiful game of hues that speaks of enchanted fables and mysterious tales. Vie Cave were used as a way of communication until relative- ly recent times, but today they no longer are: it is trekkers who walk through them, to enjoy their peculiar charm and get the feeling of walking through mil- lennia. If the history and the mystery of these ancient roads wasn't enough, there is also the fact we are in one of the most charming spots of Tuscany: Pitigliano, S o r a n o a n d S o v a n a a r e p i c - turesque locations full of histo- ry. Indeed, if you were interest- ed to use the Vie Cave as a way to discover the area, you may be glad to know there are several tour operators organizing special tours around the area. One of the m o s t p o p u l a r i s W a l k I t a l y Tours, which specializes in his- torical walking tours: those they organize in Tuscany are inspired by George Dennis' 1842 The Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria, his own travel and archaeology diary, where he noted in detail all his discoveries and thoughts. A son of his time, Dennis was a British explorer with a penchant for ancient vestiges of the glori- ous civilizations of Italy: the Victorians and their Grand Tour, what would have we done with- out them. But Dennis went a step fur- ther, if it's true that some of his notes are still considered rele- vant today in the field of Etr- uscan studies. Vie Cave are, quite literally, roads carved into tufa rock © Jamie Frattarelli | Dreamstime.com The magic atmosphere of Sovana © Ermess | Dreamstime.com When Tuscany was called Etruria: Sovana and the Vie Cave trails HERITAGE HISTORY IDENTITY TRADITIONS PEOPLE

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