Hiking Highlight
Recommended by 21 hikers
The Tomba Ildebranda is the only surviving specimen of an Etruscan temple tomb. The grave complex was rediscovered in the 1920s. It was named Tomba Ildebranda in honor of Ildebrando from Sovana. The monument was carved out of a huge boulder that became a traditional Etruscan temple of the Hellenistic era (probably 3rd century BC). The facade of the temple consists of twelve columns that refer to the Etruscan Dodecapolis. The capitals are in the Sovana Museum. They show four male and female divine strands and large acanthus leaves. Overall, the entire temple surface was plastered and painted in lively colors. There are two entrances to the grave. The main entrance leads to a cross-shaped burial chamber that leads directly below the center of the temple above. Presumably it was created for a very high person from Sovana. The side dromos leads to a tomb, which probably dates from the 4th century BC. The ceiling of the tomb represents the ceiling of an Etruscan house. In addition to the Tomba Ildebranda, another rock plateau was discovered some time ago, on which two high aedicules stand next to stairs, one of which reproduces the simplified form of a temple facade. However, these discoveries are still being explored. Source: Wikipedia
If you catch one of the rare moments that the facility can be visited, the 5 € per person are in my opinion. well invested (Sept. 2020)
September 17, 2020
You can also visit the excavations on a circular hike from Sorana.
The €7.00 is definitely worth it for this very interesting site.
April 3, 2025
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