Sovana

The Piazza del Pretorio is arguably the most beautiful square and also the landmark of Sovana.
It forms the small, romantic center with cozy cafés, restaurants, and a few small shops that also sell traditional handicrafts and jewelry.
One of Savona's most famous attractions is the archaeological park with Etruscan necropolises in the immediate vicinity.

Sovana, counted among the most enchanting villages in Italy, is a gem of the tufaceous Maremma. From an episcopal seat since the 4th century, in 935 it became the capital of the Aldobrandesca county, extending from Amiata to the entire Maremma. In the 11th century, Hildebrand of Sovana, the future Pope Gregory VII, was born here, a protagonist in the struggle between church and empire. Through various historical phases, in the Renaissance it underwent a decline which reduced its population.The suggestive Piazza del Pretorio, whose herringbone paving is surrounded by medieval buildings, hosts the thirteenth-century Palazzo del Pretorio with an archaeological museum inside. In the center stands the Archive building, also from the thirteenth century. The church of Santa Maria, from the 12th century, dominates the square with austere forms on the outside, contrasted with an interior embellished with fifteenth-century frescoes. Walking along Via di Mezzo, you reach the Duomo, one of the most important Romanesque buildings in Tuscany, on the ancient Etruscan acropolis of which parts of the walls can still be seen.

Praetorian Square