Pitigliano: Tufa Stone, the Etruscan Era and Jewish Heritage

Pitigliano is situated on a tufa stone promontory 313 metres above sea level, bordered by green valleys crossed by the Lente and Meleta rivers.

A Town with Many Historical Layers

Pitigliano preserves traces of prehistoric, Etruscan and Roman civilisations. A Jewish community has been documented here since the 15th century. As it grew in the 19th century, Pitigliano acquired the nickname “Little Jerusalem”.

Etruscan Necropolises and Museums

The Museo Civico Archeologico della Civiltà etrusca di Pitigliano houses a predominantly Etruscan collection of finds. The objects mainly date from the Archaic period of the 7th and 6th centuries BC. The Necropoli etrusca del Gradone in the Museo Archeologico all'aperto di Pitigliano offers a direct connection to the tombs. It comprises one-, two- and three-chamber tombs as well as a demonstrative burial of Larth and Velia.

The Necropoli di San Giovanni in Pitigliano’s open-air museum comprises tombs dating from a period spanning the 6th to the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. In Pitigliano, you can therefore encounter various forms of Etruscan funerary culture as well as finds from different historical periods. The Museo di Palazzo Orsini also offers 21 fully frescoed rooms open to visitors, with art collections, sacred art and an original oil mill belonging to the castle.

Churches, Aqueduct and Parks

The Medici Aqueduct was built between 1636 and 1639 to channel water from the springs of the Meleta River to the fountain in Piazza della Repubblica. The Chiesa di Santa Maria is probably considered Pitigliano’s oldest church. It dates from the 12th and 13th centuries and was completely rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries.

In the Parco degli Orsini, stone seating rows, steps, pavilions and fantastic statues have been preserved. The ruins of the church and monastery of San Francesco from the early 16th century are also located there; they were built according to a design by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. In this way, the townscape combines architectural history, art and surroundings shaped by tufa stone and valleys.

Jewish Heritage and a Local Speciality

The Museo Ebraico di Pitigliano was considered the starting point for visiting the temple and taking a tour through the former ghetto with its ritual bath, cellar, kosher butcher’s shop, matzo oven and dye works. Sfratto, a typical Jewish dessert from Pitigliano, is part of the local culinary tradition.

Walking Route to the Old Washing Places

The Via dei Lavatoi walking route leads to two areas of Pitigliano where old washing places have been preserved. Women have washed their laundry at these washing places since the beginning of the 20th century.

Grape Harvest and Travel Planning

SettembreDivino takes place in Pitigliano every year at the same time as the grape harvest. For planning your trip, this makes it a destination where historical themes, landscapes, Jewish culture, and food and wine culture stand side by side. When choosing a hotel or other accommodation, you can focus on your personal interests: museums and architectural history, a walk to the washing places, or the combination of a local speciality and the grape harvest.

Getting to Pitigliano

Pitigliano can be reached via the A1 motorway towards Rome, the Orvieto exit, the SS71 towards Bolsena, the SS2 Cassia and the SS74 towards Pitigliano. This travel information helps you identify Pitigliano as a specific destination for an individually planned trip to Italy.

More Destinations

For more travel ideas, you can also discover Scarlino, Suvereto, Isola Del Giglio, Montevitozzo, La Dispensa, Castel Del Piano, Orbetello and Sabatina.

To the overarching travel overview: Grosseto.