Today I will talk about the necropolises, the city of the dead, that surround the village of Sovana
Greetings to you traveler who roam around these sacred places.
As you walk these paths, stop for a moment to listen.
Perhaps beyond the voice of the wind and the birds’ singing, you will also hear my voice and the voice of my people, the Rasna.
We who dwelled these places over 3000 years ago and established our cities here by carving the soft tuff in order to erect our grandiose masterpieces.
Listen to us!
Listen to our stories. We will tell you how we were buried in stone to survive entire eras and hand over our memory to future generations. See how we still stand mightily before you, despite wars, colonization and the abandonment of our worship.
Admire the expertise of our chisel masters that still fascinates the world and in doing so; remember what we were and what we still represent for this land.
Who are we?
We are the Necropolis.
We are the cities of the dead that the Etruscans created all around the village of Sveana never to forget their ancestors, never to sever the thread that kept the community united through death.
When visiting these places, O traveler, walk lightly and with an open mind. Observe how century after century, the need for space led craftsmen to build tombs on multiple levels, admire the stylistic evolution of our people in their tireless attempt to carve tombs as close as possible to real houses.
Savor the awe that has always been felt by those who have stood in the presence of our thousand-year-old guardians. Lions, Gorgons, winged Scyllas and Fauns have protected and protect our millennial sleep together with our deities Vanth and Charun.
Follow trails hidden by the lush, close your eyes and try to imagine the time when bright colors like gold or fiery red covered our facades and made us stand out in the eyes of passers-by.
Unfortunately, traces of most of the families who built our eternal homes have now been lost, but if you look carefully you will still find some writings that demonstrate their existence and our belonging to that ancient lineage.
Observe how over the course of millennia, the same people who felt fear in our presence have penetrated our homes, transforming them and bringing life back to what were once dead and forgotten places. You will thus discover the essential presence of dovecotes, stables and warehouses sometimes located at dizzying heights above the ground.
