L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2022 L'Italo-Americano O ur favorite time of year to travel is the "off-sea- s o n " , a n d w e do so frequent- l y , b u t e v e n w e w e r e s u r - prised to find a castle hotel of this caliber for a mere $66. Off-season travel offers many benefits: lower lodging prices, smaller crowds, and nicer temperatures for walk- ing and hiking - no mosqui- toes! We normally avoid big tourist spots as a rule but even at the small sites we visit, we always prefer to go w h e n t h e c r o w d s a r e a t a minimum. It's also a good time of year to enjoy some of the seasonal colder-weather Tuscan foods – hearty bean soups, rich meat stews, and earthy mushrooms. So it was easy to build a nice overnight trip around t h e t o w n o f S o r a n o i n southern Tuscany. Looming large over the town is the 1 2 t h - c e n t u r y F o r t e z z a O r s i n i , n o w a h o t e l a n d museum. From a free parking l o t o u t s i d e t h e w a l l s , w e walked through a gate in a huge castle bastion, down through a dark tunnel, and up into the castle's piazza. Check-in included a compli- mentary tasting of local wine, cheese, and prosciutto. Then we walked through a court- yard to our room entrance. W e a c t u a l l y h a d b o o k e d a suite: a large sitting room and the main bedroom, and two full bathrooms – a rarity, and unheard of at this price! Views out the windows were stunning, looking down at the rooftops and the aque- duct of the town below, and the rolling forested hillsides in the distance. A homey lit- tle enoteca-ristorante with tables in the courtyard made for a perfectly self-contained visit – aperitivo, dinner, and b r e a k f a s t a l l w i t h i n t h e medieval walls. Given all of this, especially at $66, it's easy to see why we love to travel to small towns, espe- cially in the off-season. S i n c e i t w a s b u i l t , t h i s i m p r e g n a b l e f o r t r e s s w a s never conquered, as it had its own water source and exten- sive underground floors for storage and lodging of the e n t i r e t o w n . A w a l k d o w n t h r o u g h s t o n e a r c h e s a n d covered, cobbled corridors leads visitors to the town of Sorano itself: narrow winding streets, jewelry and ceramic a r t i s a n s ' s h o p s , s e v e r a l ancient churches and a little synagogue, an arched aque- duct wall overlooking the valley, and the town's main feature: a huge clock tower w i t h a p a n o r a m i c p i a z z a above it. In most towns, this would be the biggest struc- ture, and it is impressive on i t s o w n : b u t h e r e i t ' s d w a r f e d b y t h e f o r t r e s s above. F o r s i g h t s e e i n g , w e ' r e spoiled for choice: Sorano sits in the midst of a region filled with fascinating and ancient Etruscan sites. A few are gated and ticketed; most of them are free and, at this time of year, they're practi- cally empty. For example, f i v e m i n u t e s a w a y f r o m Sorano is the "Lost City" of V i t o z z a , a r o w o f c a v e dwellings and tombs from the Etruscan (pre-Roman) e r a ; t h e c a v e s w e r e s t i l l inhabited as recently as 240 years ago. A medieval out- p o s t f o r t i f i c a t i o n s i t s i n ghostly ruins atop a steep rock outcropping in the mid- dle of the woods. The region is also famous for its many Etruscan vie cave – "cave roads." Made some 2,500 y e a r s a g o , t h e s e n a r r o w pathways were cut into the stone cliff to form extremely deep rock corridors through the woods above. In some cases these were homes; in others, they were "streets" of tombs called Necropoli – cities of the dead. Walking among these nar- row stone passages, we could hear the bells of the cathe- dral ringing out from the nearby village of Sovana. In contrast to Sorano's huge f o r t r e s s a n d m a n y s l o p e s and stairs, Sovana's brick streets run almost perfectly f l a t f o r t h e l e n g t h o f t h i s impossibly charming village, making it easy to visit its medieval churches, restau- rants, and artists' studios. The 11th-century cathedral at one end of town is mas- sive, with high vaulted ceil- ings of tufa rock; it houses a crypt from three centuries earlier, now displaying the b o n e s o f l o c a l s a i n t s . A smaller church in the center has preserved frescoes from the 14th century, contribut- ing to the feeling that we've stepped back into time. At the other end of town stand t h e p i c t u r e s q u e r u i n s o f another fortress - evidently less successful at defense compared to that in Sorano! W e i m a g i n e i t w o u l d g e t crowded here in the sum- mer, but in November the s t r e e t s h a v e a q u i e t a n d magical quality. T h e s e t o w n s , a n d t h e sights in and around them, are so much fun to visit in t h e o f f - s e a s o n – w e c a n imagine spending the better part of a week here, explor- ing all the area has to offer. And at 66 bucks a night to stay in a suite in a castle, you can explore in style! About the authors: Zene- ba & Matt moved from the US to Italy in 2019, where they live and work as per- forming musicians. They are also authors of four award- winning travel guidebooks, and as Little Roads Europe they craft itineraries for trav- elers who want to visit small towns and enjoy authentic experiences in Italy and Ire- l a n d . w w w . l i t t l e r o a d s e u - rope.com The Orsini fortress in Sorano (Photo: Matt Walker and Zeneba Bowers) The $66 castle hotel stay: off- season travel MATT WALKER & ZENEBA BOWERS ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES Art in the fortress (Photo: Matt Walker and Zeneba Bowers)

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