To visit the necropolis, one needs to go beyond Sovana in the direction of San Martino sul Fiora. After one kilometer, one reaches the carpark and the entrance to the archeological area. The most imposing part of the Etruscan necropolis is located on the hills to the north of the Calesine torrent, where, after hiking through dense vegetation, the visitor comes upon extraordinary rock-cut funerary structures: these are the monumental tombs with columned façades, like the Pola Tomb and the Hildebrand Tomb, which takes its name from the illustrious citizen of Sovana who would become Pope Gregory the Seventh; there are also the shrine tombs of the Typhon and the Winged Demons. This latter tomb was brought to light in 2004, and it has been the object of thorough and attentive museological work on the part of the Superintendancy.
Not far from the monument are found several giant blocks of tufa, with carved decoration of remarkably high quality. Especially noteworthy is the high-relief pediment, on which there presides an imposing marine demon, complete with wings and fishlike tails, identifiable as Skylla or Triton, whose right arm is raised on high, brandishing the oar or the rudder of a shipwrecked vessel. On the right, among various decorative blocks, there stands an almost totally round statue identifiable as Vanth, a winged female demon, the messenger of death who carries the parchment on which is written the destiny of the deceased person. This last-named figure, depicted within the large niche, lies in a semi-recumbent position on the funeral bed, and holds the libation cup in her hand. A few steps away, in another sector of the necropolis, called the Sopraripa (or “Clifftop”), are found tombs in the form of dice, or half-dice, or false dice, and the tomb and shrine of the Siren. Besides the funerary monuments, the necropolis is characterized by numerous “vie cave,” or paths between rock walls, among the largest and most atmospheric in this area.
