Top 6 Caves モンテロマーノでの

"The Necropolis of Castel d'Asso represents one of the most significant testimonies of Etruscan Civilization. The cube tombs carved into the rocky walls of the gorge follow one another, showing themselves to the visitor with elegant facades characterized by dedicatory engravings, decorative friezes and symbolic motifs such as the door of 'Afterlife, recurring image of Etruscan culture. A first study of the necropolis was made in 1817 by the Viterbo archaeologist Francesco Orioli, who was also responsible for the discovery of the even more imposing necropolis of Norchia near Vetralla.

Etruscan tumulus of Grotta Porcina, characterized by rock architecture, with a tomb decorated by an altar with bas-reliefs. The Romans then used the site for the passage of the ancient Via Clodia.

This suggestion has been added because the path is not very clear in this point and in the following one. Pay attention, looking at the map, to the positioning of the river which is on the right in the first ford and on the left in the second. Fortunately, the river bed was quite passable.

On the way out towards Blera, you can see many caves dug into the tuff. Last climb, last effort and then ... we eat

Wonderful, moderately difficult gorge hike. Pleasantly cool and shady. You feel like Indiana Jones🤠 in the jungle. Good walking shoes🥾 are an advantage.

Beautiful, not too steep climb to the city. Flanked by numerous rock cellars

Information taken from the web: Ripa Maiale (313 m a.s.l.) is a volcanic cliff composed of ignimbrite and trachyte, which originated at the end of the Pliocene with the birth of the Tolfa mountains. Topographically this vertical wall is the final term of the Palano maquis. The area is geologically very interesting due to the presence of marine fossils (bivalve molluscs such as pectinidae and oysters) from the Miocene and volcanic breccias containing leucite crystals. The cliff has natural caves and a perennial source of water, elements that favored human settlement from the end of the Middle Palaeolithic.