Sorano

This is a village of dark tufo, built on terraces carved into an open cliff, washed by the Lente river. Its origins are probably Etruscan, but its name "Soranus" is clearly Roman. The "Massa Leopoldino" towers over the houses, a high tufo cliff with a terrace at the top that dominates the village. In the village one can see the church and what remains of the count's palace, that is the portal and countryyard. The fortress, designed by A. Maria Lari in 1552, in the southern part of the village was part of a defensive system which extended to Montorio, castell'Ottieri and Vitozza. You can go to the medieval-Renaissance Museum for a guided tour of the fortress from the subterraneans to the high bastions.