Etruscan in Maremma

The Etruscan

The interesting archaeological sites in the Grosseto province make the perfect itinerary for following the traces of this people. They are able to tell us today about this evolved society and its principal activities, a people known as “the first great people of Italy”. The Etruscans, skilled craftsmen and merchants whose main activity was carried out at sea, built the cities on high terraces as can be seen with Roselle, Vetulonia and Ghiaccio Forte. Their necropolies were structured as proper cities according to a precise urban paln, with streets, squares and splandid mountains. A short distance from Grosseto are the remains of two among the most important and powerful Etrsucan cities: Roselle and Vetulonia. The first, an active commercial and cultural centre, is best known for its extensive city walls, a rare and precious example of the renowned Etruscan defensive architecture. There is also considerable evidence of the remains of the original city on which the Roman built their own city, making this one o f the most interesting archaeological site in the region. On the highest part of the hill, the archaeological digs have uncovered the amphitheatre, many public and private buildings and the distincitve with cartwheel grooves still visible.

Vetulonia still has sections of fortifications, even though the great rival of Roselle owes its fame to its necropolies and the beauty of these tombs. Both well and mound tombs like the splendid Belvedere, Diavolino and Fibula d'Oro tombs can be seen along the so called “via dei sepolcri”, a lovely path in the shade of a little hill covered with olive trees. The Pietrera tomb, certainly the most important of antique Etruria for its monumental dimensions and for the finds discovered inside, has recently been opened to the public. The other significant settlement is neas Scansano. The ancient urban centre of Ghiaccio Forte, dating from the end of the 4^th and the beginning of the 3^rd centuries B. C., was built in a strategic position to control the territory, increasingly threatened by Rome. This settlement was also protected by walls with three city gates. Inside there is a large building with a number of rooms arranged around an open courtyard, identified as a metal working shop. On the basis of the objects found, it is possible to understand the purpose of the different rooms§: the bathroom, the kitchen and the pantries for storing wine and oil in large terracotta jars. As a necessary complement to the archaeological sites, a number of museums exhibit the finds, a world of art and history.

Texts and photos are property of APT Maremma