<< Our Photo Pages >> Via cava di S. Sebastiano - Ancient Trackway in Italy in Toscana
Submitted by ivanjohnson on Saturday, 07 August 2010 Page Views: 4463
Roman, Greek and ClassicalSite Name: Via cava di S. Sebastiano Alternative Name: Rock-cut roadsCountry: Italy
NOTE: This site is 12.668 km away from the location you searched for.
Region: Toscana Type: Ancient Trackway
Nearest Town: Sovana Nearest Village: Sovana
Latitude: 42.654967N Longitude: 11.637051E
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Via cava (excavated or quarried road) are narrow roads, cut vertically out of solid rock, which switchback up and down inside the steep Tuscan tufa cliffs, connecting the valley floors to roads on the clifftops. They often have vertical sidewalls though some have inward-leaning sidewalls. Several of the many roadway shafts are fairly spectacular (some are still in use). This particular road, Via cava di S. Sebastiano, was quite interesting.
These roads are vertical slots hewn out of solid rock 30 to 40 feet deep in places and only as wide as an oxcart. The roadways at the bottom of the slots are eroded from centuries of abrasion and everything really looks ancient. This particular road features a junction of these slot roads inside the rock, shown in the photos, but the photos don't convey the grandeur of it. Twenty five feet straight above that junction, carved into the solid rock at the top of the slot is a watch room to monitor the junction. It is the cave and room shown in the photos - outside its window, which faces inward to the via cava, guards could watch the junction directly below.
This is a fascinating place to hike around and explore.
This site is part of the large but walkable archaeological area with nearby parking which includes Ildebranda Tomb and the Tomba della Sirena, all in the valley directly below the town of Sovana. Get the very helpful tourist map of the area at the small tourist offices in any of surrounding towns. Another great site nearby is Vitozza.
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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
225m ESE 107° Tomba della Sirena* Rock Cut Tomb
485m NW 323° Ildebranda Tomb* Rock Cut Tomb
495m NNW 327° Via Cava di Poggio Prisca* Ancient Trackway
1.2km ENE 77° Sovana Necropolis* Rock Cut Tomb
9.9km ENE 72° Vitozza* Cave or Rock Shelter
29.4km SSE 158° San Giulano Rock Cut tombs Rock Cut Tomb
39.0km E 79° Necropoli del Crocifisso del Tufo Rock Cut Tomb
39.3km SW 227° Cosa.* Hillfort
41.9km NNE 27° Civic Archaeological Museum* Museum
43.4km WNW 297° Roselle* Hillfort
43.4km SE 144° Norchia Etruscan Necropolis* Rock Cut Tomb
46.1km SSE 163° Tarquinia* Ancient Village or Settlement
51.4km SE 143° Pian di Vescovo Rock Cut Tomb
53.6km ESE 120° Mount Cimino Votive Site* Ancient Temple
54.7km ESE 110° Bomarzo Etruscan 'Pyramid' Altar* Ancient Temple
56.4km SSE 148° Casale Vignale Necropolis Chambered Cairn
56.9km SE 140° Barbarano Romano Etruscan Necropolis Chambered Tomb
57.3km SSE 147° Civitella Cesi Etruscan Tomb* Rock Cut Tomb
57.9km WNW 295° Tomba del Diavolino 2* Chambered Cairn
58.8km WNW 293° Vetulonia Mura dell' Arce* Ancient Village or Settlement
59.8km NNW 340° Poggio Civitate Ancient Village or Settlement
67.0km SE 133° Sutri Necropolis* Rock Cut Tomb
67.1km SE 133° Sutri amphitheatre* Ancient Village or Settlement
75.4km E 91° Carsulae Ancient Village or Settlement
79.5km NE 50° The Hypogeum of the Volumni* Rock Cut Tomb
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