Archeological area in Roselle
Just a few kilometres from Grosseto are the ruins of a large Etruscan city
The ancient city of Roselle sits atop an oval-shaped high plain that comprises two elevations separated by a valley in the centre, near Vetulonia and the mouth of the river Ombrone. Roselle, located 8 kilometres north of Grosseto, was one of the most important cities in Etruria. It was Romanized at the end of the 3rd century BCE and abandoned in the Middle Ages, when the population moved to Grosseto.
After periodic explorations in the 1800s, from 1942 oneward, there were continuous excavation campaigns that brought the city to light.
The excavations have allowed for us to see large sections of the city wall (about 3 kilometres), part of a 5-metre tall polygonal work (6th-2nd century BCE), the ruins of the Roman city (the forum, the cardo [main north-south road], the court dating to the Roman Empire and noble residences) and, on a hill, parts of a small amphitheatre and thermal baths. Deeper excavations have revealed the urban structure from the late-Archaic period, with houses and artisan workshops dating to the 7th-6th centuries BCE.
Info: museidimaremma.it
