Area archeologica del colle di San Pietro

Excavations on the Colle di San Pietro at Tuscania have revealed parts of the Etruscan and Roman settlement, including domestic structures, cisterns, paved roads and traces of early medieval towers.

Why it matters

The hill was a centre of the ancient settlement and the site of its acropolis. Archaeological work after the 1971 earthquake exposed remains that help trace Tuscania's development from an Etruscan stronghold into a Roman town and later a fortified ecclesiastical centre.

What to notice

The Roman remains include a domus with painted plaster and mosaic pavements, terracing, cisterns and stretches of paved road. Foundations of early medieval tower houses mark a later phase of occupation. The hilltop basilica and fortified ecclesiastical enclosure belong to the succeeding medieval landscape.

Context and history

Tuscania became a Roman municipium after 90 BC and prospered along the Via Clodia. The hill's settlement changed over the medieval period; after a renewed urban phase in the thirteenth century, occupation declined and the area gradually returned to cultivation. Excavations following the 1971 earthquake brought important parts of the ancient quarter to light.