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All Italy Soriano nel Cimino Corviano
AO Edited

Corviano

This archaeological site built into a tuff outcrop is filled with rock dwellings, the ruins of a medieval castle, and a necropolis.

Soriano nel Cimino, Italy

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Jan Claus Di Blasio
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Inside one of the stone dwellings.   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
Inside one of the stone dwellings.   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
A window onto the valley below.   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
The medieval necropolis by the church.   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
The walls of the castle   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
  LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance to one of the stone dwellings.   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
The view over the valley below where all of the volcanic boulders are visible   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The "Monumento Naturale di Corviano" is a lesser-known nature reserve that covers over 70 hectares and is located between the villages of Vitorchiano and Bomarzo, in northern Lazio.

The site extends over a high volcanic plateau that is separated from the valley below by high cliffs, which served formidable defensive purposes over the centuries.

Most of the archaeological remains that are visible today date back to the Middle Ages, however, several Etruscan altars and tombs are located in the valley below. These include the ruins of a castle whose walls rest on an older Etruscan defensive structure and moat. Other than being cited in Ecclesiastical documents from the 8th-century, researchers know that the fiefdom was owned by the Orsini family and destroyed during the conflict between that family and the city of Viterbo in 1282.

A short distance away from the castle are the remains of five cave dwellings that can be accessed via staircases that were most likely added later, as archaeologists believe that the dwellings could be entered only through a sophisticated system of wooden ladders.

Each dwelling opens to the valley below and is often composed of more than one chamber, with clear traces and carvings in the rocks that served various purposes. The dwellings are even more impressive when seen from below, as the gaping windows litter the enormous peperino cliffs (however, the trails below the site are unmarked and only recommended for experienced hikers).

Along the trail that flanks the cliffs, visitors will also come across a graveyard with almost thirty stone sarcophagi and the remains of a small medieval church, alongside a series of wine or hemp presses dug directly into the rock.

The site is also a beautiful nature reserve filled with life. 

Related Tags

History & Culture Caves Ecosystems

Know Before You Go

Corviano can be either reached on foot from Vitorchiano (a 10-kilometer loop) or by car from the Ortana road that connects Viterbo with Orte. A sign is visible approximately at the 12.8-kilometer mark and a two-kilometer unpaved road leads to the closest access to the site.

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LatiumMirabile

Published

May 11, 2021

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Corviano
Soriano nel Cimino, 01038
Italy
42.480296, 12.199566

Nearby Places

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Soriano nel Cimino

Soriano nel Cimino

Italy

Places 7

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Photo of Soriano nel Cimino

Soriano nel Cimino

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Places 7

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