The selected area of investigation is located in southern Tuscany, within the modern municipality of Civitella Paganico (Province of Grosseto). This landscape is characterized by the remains of a significant late Etruscan and Republican settlement, closely associated with the ruins of a small medieval castle. Both sites are strategically positioned in the valley of the Ombrone River, roughly midway along its course.
This region was chosen for its complex environmental and infrastructural framework, which extends across the lower and middle Ombrone valley and encompasses a substantial portion of the Roman ager Rusellanus. The area offers an ideal setting to explore long-term patterns of occupation and connectivity.
The investigation also incorporates the previously studied coastal zone of Alberese, near the Tyrrhenian Sea, which was the focus of a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship (project ALBTUSMED II) hosted at the University of Sheffield. A key objective of the current research is to examine the relationships between various types of settlementsāmaritime, rural, riverine, and urbanāand their interaction with the surrounding landscape over time.
Interconnected Mobility of People and Economy along the River Ombrone 