What was the function of the Etruscan Vie Cave?

The Vie Cave mainly served as routes of travel between Etruscan settlements, the valleys and the necropolises of the region; their exact function nevertheless remains debated. These corridors were carved into the tufa around Pitigliano, Sovana and Sorano. Some directly connect funerary areas to other places of life, but it cannot be claimed that all the Vie Cave had the same use, nor that they all date from the same period.

It is sometimes suggested that they may also have served to drain water or for ritual processions to pass through. These are hypotheses, not functions established with certainty. Their deep layout, sometimes enclosed between tufa walls of more than 20 meters, also makes the passage more sheltered; this does not prove, however, that they were designed as defensive routes. They were probably maintained and reused over the centuries. If you take one, plan on shoes with good grip: the ground can be damp and uneven, especially in the shaded passages.