The Vie Cave Geomorphological Site in Southern Tuscany (Italy): Problems of Decay and Conservation

Elena Pecchioni, Alba Patrizia Santo, Leonardo Piccini, Luciano Di Fazio, Fabio Fratini, Pasquino Pallecchi, Riccardo Trevisan and Carlo Alberto Garzonio
Additional contact information
Elena Pecchioni: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50121, Italy
Alba Patrizia Santo: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50121, Italy
Leonardo Piccini: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50121, Italy
Luciano Di Fazio: Botanic Garden, Natural History Museum, Florence 50121, Italy
Fabio Fratini: CNR-ICVBC, Florence 50019, Italy
Pasquino Pallecchi: Supervision for Archaeological Heritage of Tuscany, Laboratory of Analyses, Florence 50143, Italy
Riccardo Trevisan: Geologist Freelancer, FR s.r.l., Florence 50129, Italy
Carlo Alberto Garzonio: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50121, Italy

Sustainability, 2015, vol. 7, issue 6, 1-18

Abstract: The Vie Cave are a suggestive network of roads deeply entrenched in the rock, dating back to the Etruscan civilization; these ancient roads connect various settlements and necropolises existing mainly in the area of Sovana, Sorano and Pitigliano towns (Southern Tuscany, Italy). The Vie Cave are located in a peculiar geomorphological site, characterized by the presence of extensive pyroclastic deposits, which have been incised by a parallel network of deep gorges. In this paper, the geomorphological, geological and lithological setting of the Vie Cave area, where several Etruscan archaeological sites are found, are described. The precarious stability of the Vie Cave walls and the several archaeological structures carved into them, the high grade of decay shown by the constituent materials, together with the dense vegetation that has developed over the rocky scarps, are taken into account with the aim to provide a complete assessment of the conditions in which the site lies. Finally, we propose some targeted actions related to the preservation of this territory, showing so distinctive morphology, in order to protect the area from further decay to which it would be subjected if it remained abandoned.

Keywords: Vie Cave; geomorphological site; decay; conservation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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