Castelsecco

Castelsecco is an archaeological site full of mystery, located just 3 kilometers to the south-east of Arezzo. This ancient site has a natural curved terrace that overlooks the Arezzo valley area. In the area of Castelsecco called Collina di San Cornelio, there is the only remaining Etruscan theater in the world. The Castelsecco area gives us a glimpse of the history and life of the Etruscans but not from the discoveries found in their tombs, rather through their celebrations of life.  Castelsecco was the most important shrine in Etruria dedicated to the

dedicated to the god Tinia, the Etruscan Jupiter and probably Uni, the goddess of fertility, known as the protector of mothers and of births. 

On this hill, men and women came on spiritual pilgrimages and brought statuettes of children wrapped in swaddling clothes as offerings to the goddesses. It was a place of joy where people gathered after prayers for performances that were dedicated to the divinities and set in the majestic environment of this theater. 

Today Castelsecco is a site immersed in nature and it’s best to get there by taking one of the many hiking trails that end up there. A must-see in Castelsecco is the majestic wall called the Muraglione,  a majestic dry masonry with large stone blocks . It stands more than ten meters high and has a particular elliptical shape. This wall is supported by 14 buttresses that make it look like a gigantic seashell in the middle of the woods.