Fortezza Orsini e Museo civico archeologico di Sorano
16th-century Orsini fortress in Sorano, with the civic museum of medieval and Renaissance ceramics, frescoes and underground passages.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Orsini Fortress overlooks the medieval village of Sorano and is considered one of the great examples of Renaissance military architecture. It was built by the Aldobrandeschi in the 13th century and later enlarged and restructured by the Orsini, to adapt it to the use of firearms and to make Sorano a bulwark in the long dispute with the Republic of Siena.
The 16th-century complex includes a central keep, which housed the headquarters, the armoury, the powder and saltpetre stores, the foundry and the prisons, linked to two corner bastions, San Pietro and San Marco, and to a network of underground passages on several levels, equipped with loopholes for defence. In the second half of the 16th century the county became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and the fortress gradually lost its strategic function.
Today some rooms of the oldest part house the museum, which displays medieval and Renaissance ceramics recovered from the wells and waste pits of Sorano and the surrounding area. Of particular interest is a small room in an octagonal tower with 16th-century frescoes in the Sienese manner: among the scenes, one depicts the song “Io mi son giovinetta” from Boccaccio’s Decameron. Guided tours of the fortress and its underground passages start from the museum ticket office.
Highlights
- Keep and the San Pietro and San Marco bastions
- Underground passages on several levels
- Medieval and Renaissance ceramics from the waste pits
- Frescoed room with a song from the Decameron
- Guided visits to the fortress from the museum ticket office
Permanent exhibition
- Museo civico: ceramiche medievali e rinascimentali e stanza affrescata – Ceramics recovered from the medieval waste pits and a small room with 16th-century frescoes in an octagonal tower.
- Founded
- 1996
- Operated by
- Comune di Sorano
- Director
- Lara Arcangeli
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3.50 |
Ticket for the museum and the fortress. Sources give a reduced rate of €3.50 (Museionline) or €3 (Musei di Maremma). A combined ticket with the Parco archeologico Città del Tufo is also available.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
According to the Musei di Maremma listing, the complex is partly accessible to people with disabilities; the fortress has flights of steps and underground passages.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available
Parking along the Strada Provinciale 12 San Quirico; from the village the fortress is reached on foot.
The museum is in the Fortezza Orsini, in Piazza Cairoli, in the centre of Sorano.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
Bookshop at the museum.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Guided tours of the fortress and underground passages start from the ticket office; for the underground visit, comfortable shoes and a jacket are recommended because of the strong temperature change. |
