Tuscania Nature Reserve

Nature and Man: Historical and Archaeological Remains

The area included in the Nature Reserve is the portion of Tuscania richest in archaeological remains.
The zone with the greatest number of important historical remains, also of greatest interest to tourists, is obviously that consisting of the late Medieval historic town of Tuscania and the hills of Rivellino and S. Pietro, famous also for the imposing architecture of the Churches of S. Maria Maggiore and S. Pietro.
This territory offers many archaeological sites dating back to Etruscan and Roman times. The majority of traces present in the territory consists of 'areas of earthenware fragments' and of chamber tombs, either isolated or grouped in necropolises. The latter are at times quite extensive and are sited on the plains flanking the Marta and Maschiolo rivers and their tributaries or the areas where these valleys widen out into extensive plains. As regards the tombs, they are for the most part of the hypogeum type, dug out of the tufa rocks. The most ancient (7th - 6th centuries BC) are of the chamber type with an upper cleft. They were gradually superseded (6th - 4th centuries BC) by others of the chamber type completely dug out of the rocks.
Some of the most important rock-excavated tombs are found in the necropolises of Peschiera, with the 'cube tomb', in the shape of a house, and the Pian di Mola complex, with a sequence of house tombs including one with a colonnaded portico, which is unique in the whole of Etruria.
Nor should we forget the necropolises situated at Castelluzza, or at Madonna dell'Olivo and Ara del Tufo.