Rifugio in Sorano

The cluster sits in the tuff-rock area of southern Maremma often called the 'Città del Tufo' (Sorano–Sovana–Pitigliano) with towns built on and into tuff plateaux. Steep tuff cliffs, ravines and Etruscan rock-cut necropolises and carved 'vie cave' are present in the surrounding countryside. The medieval town of Pitigliano, built on tuff with a historic Jewish quarter, lies within the local area. The small village of Sovana and its archaeological remains are also nearby. The Fiora river valley and tributary gullies run through the landscape and influence local agriculture. The countryside within 15 km is a mix of cultivated hills (olives, some vineyards, arable), chestnut and oak woodland on tuff soils. There is no national park inside the 15 km radius; coastal Maremma and Grosseto city are farther away and not the immediate surroundings.