Epigraphic and Graffito Evidence at the Vitozza Rock Settlement(Grosseto, Tuscany)

La relazione contribuisce alla conoscenza del villaggio rupestre di Vitozza e pone l’attenzione su alcuni graffiti e resti epigrafici che potrebbero, se confermati, testimoniare la presenza etrusca nel villaggio. Precedenti studi sul sito non hanno fornito documentazione in tal senso, pur suggerendo, con alcune osservazioni, una più antica origine del villaggio, accreditato solitamente al Medioevo. L’indagine dettagliata, condotta e tuttora in corso dal Dipartimento di Architettura di Firenze, attesta la presenza del borgo in epoca etrusca. Dalle analisi emergono piccole tracce in alcune grotte che sostengono la frequentazione etrusca del villaggio. Queste testimonianze colmano una lacuna storica riguardante l’antica e millenaria frequentazione del sito. In alcune grotte sono emersi graffiti e bassorilievi figurativi, a testimonianza della frequentazione del sito in epoca etrusca. Vitozza, nel comune di Sorano, è uno dei villaggi rupestri italiani più importanti; offre una memoria storica di una vita antica immersa in un contesto boschivo rigoglioso e di grande biodiversità. Abstract The present contribution aims to enhance the understanding of the rock-cut settlement of Vitozza by examining a selection of epigraphic and graffito evidence, largely unpublished or scarcely documented, which may precede the medieval occupation and potentially date back to the Etruscan period. Previous research on the site did not provide specific documentation concerning such traces. However, recent and ongoing architectural and archaeological analyses of the village structures have identified minor yet significant markings in several caves, supporting the hypothesis of pre-medieval frequentation of the site. The rock settlement of Vitozza is one of the notable Italian rock cities. It is a natural and anthropised urban landscape that offers a historical memory of an ancient life immersed in a lush woodland context with incredible biodiversity. The carved settlement extends to the east of Sorano, the municipality to which it belongs, and develops on the slopes of a plateau that overlooks the branches of the Lente torrent and the confluence of the Felcetone ditch. The surrounding territory is composed of lands of volcanic origin. The western side of the hill group, characterised by tuffs and ignimbrites, rises very slowly from the valley of the Fiora River up to the Volsini Mountains, the northern fringe of the Bolsena Lake volcanic cone. This area is crossed by numerous valleys characterised by steep slopes and cliffs that delimit and circumscribe the plateaus. This distinctive geography has influenced the urbanisation of the territory, which developed mainly during periods of territorial conflict and crisis. There are few studies on the village; however, these have uncovered ceramic materials generally attributable to the protohistoric era and lithic materials from the Neo-Neolithic period. The medieval period is the most recognisable due to fortifications to the southeast and northwest of the village and the documentation of disputes and contracts dating from the early 13th century. Furthermore, ceramics attest to a resumption of activity at the site after its abandonment in the 14th century. Land registry records show that some buildings were still inhabited until the mid-20th century. Among the most accessible structures closest to the village of San Quirico, some still serve as warehouses and cellars for residents. The detailed architectural survey of several caves, currently being conducted by the Department of Architecture of Florence, together with the identification of graffiti and figurative bas-reliefs, could serve as a basis for new studies aimed at verifying the possible existence of the settlement already during the Etruscan period. Such investigations have the potential to fill a historical gap concerning the ancient and continuous occupation of the site. In Cave 6, in addition to more recent inscriptions overlapping older ones on the front wall, a letter from the Middle (5th–4th century BC) and Archaic (7th–5th century BC) periods, KI, is engraved on the right and left jambs of the entrance. On the wall’s right side, a niche is enclosed by a tympanum and decorated with a Greek cross. The same type of cross is found in several other structures. While these could be expressions of Christianity, the Greek cross was also present in Etruscan culture, representing the Templum’s heavenly subdivision, the most ancient form. East-west alignment was already known to the Egyptians during the Old Kingdom (2850–2052 BC); it was used to orient the mastaba to the north towards the circumpolar stars, as prescribed by local funeral rites. Cave 6.1, in structurally poor condition, has a bas-relief divided into three parts on the northwest wall. In the central part, there is a niche with signs whose representation is difficult to interpret. On the left, there is a figure that could be an augur, while on the right, there could be a winged figure. The space appears to have been elaborately decorated, as remnants of an arched motif can be seen, along with apsidal surfaces with a slight curvature laterally to the triptych. Cave 11 contains apparent modern iconography along a horizontal band, with mostly damaged or lost niches. An engraved human figure with dynamic movement is depicted in the remaining niche. On the same stretch of rock, Etruscan characters are also visible.