Grotte di Castro is a pretty village of Alta Tuscia Viterbese, lying on a hill, 467 meters above sea level, surrounded by woods a few kilometers from Lake Bolsena. Grotte di Castro was a big Etruscan centre of primary importance, between the territory of Vulci and Volsinii (Bolsena); already in the VIII century B.C. it was very active and had a remarkable development also during the following century, as it is testified by the consistent surrounding necropolis and the numerous chamber tombs. Like all the Etruscan places, also the ancient settlement of the "Civita" suffered the repercussions of the Roman expansionism. Then, during the Longobard devastation, the surviving population had to move to the nearby and safer cliff that hosts the present town of Grotte di Castro. In a first moment the inhabitants had to use as their homes the caves, in part already existing and from here the name of the village. Decidedly fascinating is the church of San Giovanni Evangelista, which with its modern forms offers a perfect contrast with the nearby ruins of an ancient sacred building destroyed in the first half of 1100. While, just outside the built-up area, it is still possible to admire some very old necropolis.
