What to See in Pitigliano, the Little Tuscan Jerusalem

The ancient village of Pitigliano, founded by the Romans, sits perched on a tuff cliff, offering a particularly evocative view at night when lit from below the cliff upwards, appearing to be suspended in nothingness. Where is Pitigliano located. Pitigliano is located in Tuscany, in the Maremma area, in the province of Grosseto. It has about 3,800 inhabitants.

What to see in Pitigliano

Pitigliano, the little Jerusalem. Pitigliano is nicknamed the little Jerusalem, due to the presence of a small Jewish community since the 16th century and a synagogue from the 1500s within the historic center. Also dating back to the 16th century are the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul and the Church of Santa Maria and San Rocco. From the 1200s instead is the deconsecrated church of Sant’Antonio, now used for civil purposes.

The Orsini Palace, the noble family that ruled Pitigliano until the 1600s, when it was handed over to the Medici, was built on the remains of a Franciscan convent and today houses the Diocesan Museum. The museum displays works of silverware and goldsmithery, coins, wooden sculptures, paintings on panel and canvas, precious fabrics, stone materials, manuscripts, and ancient books. It preserves the 15th-century ceilings and decorations of the Orsini Palace. Inside the courtyard there is a characteristic Renaissance-era well. Outside the walls, characterized by the vaults of the ancient aqueduct of Pitigliano, nearby are the Santuary of Madonna delle Grazie and the Convent of San Francesco.

What to see in Pitigliano. South of Pitigliano you can find the open-air “Alberto Manzi” Museum, a journey between art and nature dedicated to the writer, educator, and TV host of the RAI program “It’s Never Too Late.”