In location Ossaia, precisely La Tufa, there is an important testimony of the Roman civilization of the area. It was found a Roman Villa that dates back to the late Imperial age. The archaeological excavations, that brought to life the villa, started in 1992. It has got an area of about 1000 square meters, and it is divided into 3 different housing phases. The archaeologists dated the first between 50 BC and the half of I century AD. The second phase can be dated from 80 – 100 AD. The third phase records a recovery between the age of Tetrarchy and the Constantinian one until the half of V century AD. The villa is located inside a landed property belonged probably to an illustrious family of Etruscan lineage: the Vibii Pansae. They were early integrated in the leading late-Republican Roman class. Due to the many excavation campaigns, the archaeologists are able to determine the architectural features and the planimetry of the monumental peristyle discovered exceptionally preserved. After some years a new part of the villa was discovered, and from this part you could see the silhouette of Cortona. On that new part discovered, the archaeologists found a spectacular mosaic with inserts of polychrome marble flakes. Thanks to this amazing artifact, we are able to have a graphic reconstruction of the villa planimetry, and for example we know that the villa has got a considerable size, with big house and rooms. The mosaic and the coloumns that were found in the Roman villa, nowadays are kept inside the MAEC (Museum of the Etruscan Academy of Cortona). All these decorative findings are a unique example of the Roman Late-Republican age. 

The area nearby Cortona, especially the one of Sodo, is full of the witnesses of the Etruscan population. Among the Tanella di Pitagora and the Tanella Angori, there is another grave: the Etruscan grave of Mezzavia. This tomb is located in the location Peciano – il Passaggio. This place has got a peculiar name, in fact, as all the names of locations, hides something. When the Valdichiana was still invaded by the water of the swamp, this area was a small bay, where people used to make the process so called impeciatura. It is the process of boat waterproofing. This should by the reason why Peciano is the name of this little area. Other sources, more official, tells that the name Peciano came from the word Petkes: the name of an ancient rich Etruscan family, that lived in this property probably since fifth/sixth century BC. We could know this information, because there is an engraving etched around one of the sides. The engraving says: arnt p[e]tkes : veinal; and so, this can lead back the Petkes family. The Petkes family appears also in another important Etruscan finding of the area: the Tabula Cortonensis. The noble mentioned in the Tabula, probably gave rise to the place name of Peciano. Near Peciano there is the Etruscan tomb of Mezzavia, that brigs back to the Petkes family. The chamber tomb is dug in tuff and it was randomly discovered in 1950 by a labourer on the land owned by Novelli family. The grave was lately studied by Guglielmo Maetzke on behalf of Archaeological Superintendence. 

Set in a beautiful location, immersed in the green hills around Cortona, there is the Tanella Angori, an important witness of the Etruscan funerary tradition. The tomb was found in 1949 after some working on the land nearby. The Tanella Angori has a similar architecture to the Tanella di Pitagora, but it was bigger than the Pythagoras’ one. The grave has a diameter of about 11 metres, but unfortunately there are few remains. Probably there was a ground cover that recalled the feature of the more ancient Tombs of Sodo. The dating is the same of the Tanella di Pitagora; it dates back to II century BC. The only thing that we can see, is the lower part of the crepido, that is a cylindrical tambour on a circular base, and a few blocks of the crowning band. The interior has got a Greek croos, and it keeps the floor of the chamber. You can visit Tanella Angori, Tanella di Pitagora and the Tomb of Mezzavia, autonomously during the opening hours of the Archaeological Park of Sodo. 

Among the olive trees located in the street that from Cortona goes down at the bottom of the hill, there is the famous Tanella di Pitagora (Tomb of Pythagoras). Why it is called that way? Is it the real grave of the famous mathematic Pythagoras? In the ancient time, people believed that the grave belonged to Pythagoras for the close similarity of the word Cortona with Croton, the city of Magna Graecia, place where the philosopher lived and taught. In reality this is an Etruscan tomb built during the Hellenic age (II century BC). The owners of the tomb are a famous family of the city, they were called Cusu. This grave has got a peculiar aspect, there aren’t any common constructive characters of the traditional Etruscan burial funerary architecture. It has got one burial chamber, with niches on its sides and at the end of the grave, where usually Etruscans used to put the funerary cinerary urns. The Tanella di Pitagora has always been over the ground, but with the archaeological excavation of nineteenth century, the grave was completely highlighted. In 1929 the tomb was given by the countess Maria Laparelli Pitti to the Etruscan Academy of Cortona, the actual owner. The Tanella di Pitagora, together with Tanella Angori and the Tomb of Mezzavia can be visited during the opening hours of the Archaeological Park of Sodo autonomously. 

In the lower part of the hill of Cortona, in the village called Sodo, there is located the Archaeological Park of the area. Inside the park, there are two of the Etruscal burial mounds from the Archaic period: the Tumulo I and Tumulo II. These two burial mounds are called, for their silhouette, meloni (melons), because they remind the shape of a melon that comes out from the ground. The Etruscan graves of this area belonged to the princes of VI century BC, the most important members of the local Etruscan aristocracy. The structure of the burial mound rises on a wide round basis made by big stones. And on this base was erected a burial chamber. At the end of the construction, all was covered by the ground. This step created the typical shape of a little hill, so that the status symbol of the family was clear and recognisable. Among the two burial mounds, there is one that outstands: the Tumulo II. It has got a stunning steps-terrace decorated with sculptural groups and architectural elements orientalising style. Nowadays the original steps-terrace was brought to the MAEC, and in the archaeological park is placed a replica of the original. The archaeological park has got opening hours and days, so make sure to look at when they are open. If you come to this area you can't miss a visit to this archaeological site, because you can find unique findings.