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Sorano: enchanting medieval village
- Category What to visit in Maremma
Sorano is a charming medieval village in the province of Grosseto, considered the Matera of Tuscany for its characteristic tuff stone buildings
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Sorano, is a charming medieval village in the province of Grosseto, considered the Matera of Tuscany because of its characteristic tuff stone buildings. Must see: the Orsini Fortress, the Clock Tower, the Masso Leopoldino, the Collegiate Church of San Niccolò, not to mention the views offered by its winding alleys, stairs, courtyards, medieval tower houses, small arches and from the loggias that open onto enchanting panoramas.
Certainly the most characteristic building in Sorano is the Orsini Fortress built by the Aldobrandeschi in the 13th century. and later enlarged and renovated by the Orsini, the Fortress is composed of a central bastion, at the time the headquarters and the guardhouse that controlled the entrance to the Fortress, and two bastions on the right and left dedicated to San Marco and San Pietro, connected to each other by the city walls.
In the Fortress, once upon a time, there were two mills used for the production of gunpowder and flour, the warehouses that stored food, an armory, a sacristy and rooms dedicated to housing for workers. Today the Orsini Fortress is entirely open to visitors and houses, inside, the Museum of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The various buildings are connected by underground walkways that allowed soldiers to move quickly. These are real tunnels that connect all the parts of the Fortress, excavated on several levels.
From the Orsini Fortress it is possible to admire a breathtaking panorama showing the surrounding area and the entire medieval village of Sorano. From here you can see the Clock Tower, whose clock is still working today, composed of a square plan with a battlements that closes the top. Looking down, you will find the Masso Leopoldino, a fortification in the shape of a ship erected by smoothing the rock, made up of a tuff wall dating back to the 18th century.
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