San Quirico: Vitozza, Churches and History

San Quirico between Churches and Vitozza

San Quirico is a place whose history is closely connected with Vitozza and its sacred history. The origins of San Quirico are linked to the end of the Vitozza cave settlement around the middle of the 15th century. The name San Quirico probably derives from one of the three churches that existed in ancient times in Vitozza and were dedicated to the saint. Vitozza thus represents the older settlement level; the parish church, estate and chapel belong to later religious and secular developments of the area.

Parish Church of Santi Quirico e Giulitta

The parish church of Santi Quirico e Giulitta has a neoclassical appearance. Its façade features a travertine portal, while the interior preserves a terracotta work attributed to the Robbiana school. It depicts the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child. The architecture, material and artwork provide several specific points of interest for a tour focused on cultural history.

Estate, Tower and Ecclesiastical Development

The secular history of San Quirico includes the estate of the Orsini counts. They turned the area into an estate with several farmsteads. This property included a tower that initially served defensive and monitoring purposes and was later converted into an agricultural unit. In the second half of the 17th century, a chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist was also built. For those interested in culture, the estate, tower and chapel, alongside the parish church, are all part of the area’s history.

The ecclesiastical structure was reorganized in 1785: the parish of Santi Quirico e Giulitta was established between 25 July and 24 October 1785; its territory was separated from S. Maria dell’Aquila.

Vitozza and the Archaeological Park

The earliest evidence of Vitozza dates back to the 11th century. Vitozza, the „city of stone“, preserves the remains of several fortifications and churches. As an archaeological site, Vitozza is connected with the Vie Cave; this connection has archaeological, geomorphological, natural-historical and landscape value. In San Quirico, the Vitozza area belongs to the Città del Tufo Archaeological Park. For those interested in history, the fortifications and churches there are complemented by the geomorphological, natural-historical and landscape connections of the Vie Cave. This creates a destination where settlement history, sacred buildings and landscape connections can be viewed together.

Cycling Route and Festival Dates

There is also a specific connection for a cycling trip: the cycling tour „Pitigliano e Sorano: viaggio nella civiltà del tufo“ follows the San Quirico provincial road, SP 12. San Quirico is also a hamlet of Sorano (GR). For this hamlet, the 64th edition of the Sagra del Pollo was announced for the period from 7 to 16 August 2026. The feast day of San Quirico e Giulitta is 16 June.

For further orientation, you can also discover Sovana, Sant'anna, Filetta and Elmo.

For the overarching travel overview: Sorano.