It opens another view of the hidden wonders of the Mediterranean boot, chosen for you five of the most beautiful villages in Italy set in the rock, places where nature and architecture coexist in perfect balance giving life to glimpses and landscapes unique in the world.
Our journey begins with Sorano, a village with unique and enchanting atmospheres, in the province of Grosseto, in the Tuscan Maremma. Also called “The Matera of Tuscany”, the village of Sorano is characterized by its buildings dug into the tufa, its thermal springs and the uncontaminated surrounding nature. It is a place rich in history and culture, a time capsule that holds over thirty different churches, including a convent, a sanctuary and an abbey. In addition to the sacredness of buildings and monuments, the dominant fragrances of the Sorano bouquet are predominantly medieval and Renaissance. Its territory is dotted with historic palaces and ancient castles, such as the Castle of Montorio, the Rocca di Castell’Ottieri and the Castello di Montebuono. Obligatory to visit the “Città del Tufo” Archaeological Park, where you will find fascinating Etruscan necropolis, the Vie Cave and one of the most monumental tombs: Ildebranda.
We pass to Civita di Bagnoreggio, in the province of Viterbo, in Lazio. One of the most beautiful villages in Italy and a unique wonder of its kind. Perched on a rocky hill of tuff, the village of Civita gives its visitors the illusion of being immersed in a lunar landscape. Joined to the rest of the world only by a narrow bridge suspended in space, in the entire province is unfortunately known as La Città Morente, due to the slow and menacing landslides of the rock on which it stands. It is accessed through its scenic Porta Santa Maria and its remains unchanged from time, retaining all the most significant medieval features.
Let’s go back to the lands of the Maremma and, slightly sheltered from the usual tourist routes, we find an enchanted village that seems to be one with the cliff on which stands proud and resplendent: the village of Pitigliano. One of the most beautiful villages in Italy that rises above a wonderful valley. The impeccable fusion between the tufaceous buildings erected by man and the underlying natural rocks, which tell a thousand-year history of Jewish and Christian coexistence, give the village of Pitigliano the name of Little Jerusalem, making it full of romantic and suggestive atmospheres.
We are located in the heart of the island of Sicilia, between the Nebrodi and Madonie, in a town that comes from the rocks, with one of the most beautiful rock castles in the whole region: the village of Sperlinga. A marvelous place in which nature and architecture blend in a homogeneous fluid in which the visitor can get lost on horseback between present and past. Besides the Sperlinga rock manor, what most amazes and fascinates the most is its openwork flank that overlooks the village, where you can see fifty artificial caves that house small houses of one or two rooms, some of which belong to the Municipality which has created an Ethnographic Museum.
Also in Sicilia we find Sutera, a village that rises on the slopes of an imposing cliff and surmounted by a sanctuary. The village is a real mine of precious historical testimonies, dating back to different eras and cultures that make Sutera a true Sicilian jewel that offers unique architectural and landscape beauties and ancient and tasty traditions, fruit of the country’s flourishing agricultural economy. Among ancient buildings and dream scenarios, you can, in fact, let yourself be conquered by the genuine flavors of almonds, honey, olive oil and local cheeses in order to make your stay in Sutera unforgettable.
