San Quirico – Church Art and Vitozza, the City of Stone

San Quirico between Church Art and Archaeology

San Quirico offers a particularly history-rich gateway to Tuscany: In the parish church of Santi Quirico e Giulitta, you will encounter neoclassical architecture and significant individual works, while the area of Vitozza leads back to the town’s early history. In addition, there is a cycling tour that follows the San Quirico provincial road (SP 12). When planning a trip, this makes it possible to combine sacred art, archaeology and an active perspective on the landscape.

The History of San Quirico

The origins of San Quirico are connected with the end of the cave settlement of Vitozza around the middle of the 15th century. At that time, the Orsini counts turned the area into an estate with several farms. This property included a tower that initially served defensive and control purposes and was later converted into an agricultural unit. The development of the town can therefore be traced not only through individual buildings, but also through the changing functions of the past. In the second half of the 17th century, a chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist was built in San Quirico. The parish of Santi Quirico e Giulitta was established between July 25 and October 24, 1785; its territory was separated from S. Maria dell’Aquila. The name of the town probably also points back to Vitozza: It is said to derive from one of the three churches that stood there in antiquity and were dedicated to Saint Quiricus.

Church Art and Vitozza

The parish church of Santi Quirico e Giulitta has a neoclassical appearance. The travertine portal stands out on its façade. Inside, there is also a terracotta depicting the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus, attributed to the Robbiana school. For a culturally oriented stay, the church thus offers several specific points of interest: architecture, material and an attributed work of art belong to different levels of the same place to visit. Vitozza adds an archaeological dimension to this picture. The earliest evidence of Vitozza dates back to the 11th century. The site, known as the “City of Stone,” preserves the remains of several fortifications and churches. Vitozza is connected with the Vie Cave; this connection has archaeological, geomorphological, natural-history and landscape value. In San Quirico, the area of Vitozza belongs to the Città del Tufo Archaeological Park. Anyone interested in historic settlements, ruins and the connection between cultural and landscape history will find a distinctly different focus here than in the parish church.

Feast Day and Cycling Tour

The patronal feast of San Quirico e Giulitta is listed as taking place on June 16. This date adds a fixed point in the annual calendar to the permanently preserved architectural and local histories. For a more active exploration, there is the cycling tour “Pitigliano e Sorano: viaggio nella civiltà del tufo.” It follows the San Quirico provincial road (SP 12) and places San Quirico within the context of a route through the culture of the tuff region. San Quirico is therefore not focused on just one type of Tuscan experience. The town combines church art, the history of the Orsini, the archaeological site of Vitozza and a named cycling tour. Other destinations in the same selection: [Sovana](Sovana), [Filetta](Filetta), [Sant'anna](Sant'anna) and [Elmo](Elmo).

For the main travel overview: Sorano.