Free Guide of Tuscany - Maremma

The Maremma is a vast stretch of green straddling the central Italian regions of Tuscany and Lazio. This largely flat coastal area runs from the mouth of the river Cecina in Tuscany down towards Civitavecchia in Lazio.
The area is divided into three distinct parts: the richest and largest is the central area surrounding Grosseto and is considered the "true" Maremma. To the south lies Maremma Laziale (part of Lazio) and to the north is Maremma Pisana, within the Province of Livorno. Maremma is one of the least populated areas of Italy and much of it is still wilderness.
The Maremma, Tuscany’s green heart, is a marvellous combination of green parks and azure sea. To visit here is to delve into centuries of history in the bewitching - and often wild - woods, valleys, mountains, sea, rivers and old towns.
The region's history stretches back to the Etruscan and Roman period, when it was home to a number of important towns (Tarquinia, Popilania, Cosa and Vetulonia). With the fall of the Roman Empire, however, the period of prosperity came to an end and the whole abandoned region slowly became marshland. For centuries the Maremma was almost completely submerged: the high dunes and “tomboli” (sand spits) along the coast block the flow of water to the sea. Although reclamation projects were started by the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, these were only finally completed in 1930 and the area once again became economically viable. Today agriculture and tourism are the lifeblood of the local economy; the natural parks, magnificent coastline, and extraordinary Etruscan, Roman and Mediaeval archaeological treasures attract many visitors.
If the Tuscany’s bucolic charm is famous all over the world, it owes its reputation to the Maremma (from the Latin 'Maritima Regio'). The countryside, largely protected as Natural Park land, is home to an infinite variety of flora and fauna and offers enchanting vistas. The province of Grosseto alone contains 13 Natural Reserves along with a number of WWF Oases.
Maremma’s greenery is the backbone of Tuscany, stretching from the hinterland behind the Uccellina Mountains to the sea near Principina. Here the woods yield to the Tyrrhenean Sea and a 160 km coastline of sunny beaches (often enclosed by pine trees) and high cliffs. The broad inlet that is the gulf of Follonica has splendid beaches in Martina bay, Punta Ala and Violina bay, and continues down to the strands at Castiglione della Pescaia (set at the foot of its namesake, the Rocca Aragonese, this old fishing town is one of the best known towns in Maremma) and Marina di Grosseto. Further south, at the Orbetello Lagoon, famous for its golden sands, the waters and land offer enchanting visual plays. The green Argentario promontory that stands out against the sea is an exclusive tourist spot. Continuing down to the Lazio border brings you to the Capalbio coastline (with a characteristic historical town), immersed in Strawberry Tree scrub - since Roman times the preferred holiday location for emperors and powerful noble families, today it is an exclusive, alternative holiday destination.

What To Do
Maremma’s natural and cultural heritage make it an ideal destination: visitors can soak up the wealth of art and architecture, nature lovers can explore the countryside on foot, by bike, or on horseback, and the thermal baths and health spa at Saturnia will suit those in need of a little pampering. The Metallifere hills around Grosseto are covered with thick woods of Turkey, Downy and Holm oak as well as Chestnut and Beech trees. Pietra, Marsiliana and Farma are some of the numerous Natural Parks here and the latter has a sizable population of otter. The Maremma was known to the Etruscans and Romans as a rich source of iron, copper, lead, zinc and talc. The mediaeval town of Massa Marittima is the area’s most important mining town and its heritage is celebrated in the Museo della Miniera. Other mining centres include Monterotondo Marittima, Pontieri e Roccastrada. The Ombrone, Albegna and Fiora river valleys are also worth visiting to see Italy’s oldest Neolithic settlements at Poggio Lucio and Poderi del Buffalo (dating from 20,000 years ago) which are surrounded by dozens of early Bronze Age villages. Other interesting archaeological visits include the small hill-town of Montemerano, the Etruscan necropolis at Puntone, the Roman fortifications at Poggio Murelle and the remains of Etruscan houses at Doganella and Ghiaccioforte. The Ombrone valley also boasts the Roselle Archaeological Park.
Not far from the hills of Grosseto is the only real mountain in lower Tuscany – l’Amiata, the highest extinct volcano in Italy at 1736 m. Its slopes are studded with interesting mediaeval towns (Arcidosso, Castel del Piano, Santa Fiora, Seggiano), while its upper reaches are covered with a magnificent Chestnut, Fir and Beech forest stretching to the Monte Labro and Monte Penna nature reserves and the WWF Oasis at Bosco Rocconi, home to important birds of prey, including the Lanner falcon, one of the rarest in Europe.
The countryside gradually changes as you follow the river Fiora towards the sea. “Vie cave” (ancient paths cut into the tufa rock by the Etruscans) begin to appear among the fortified mediaeval towns of Pitigliano and Sorano, the Romanesque churches, and Etruscan necropoli at Sovana and Poggio Buco. Vitozza is located here in the commune of Sorano, and is one of Italy’s most important rocky settlements: 180 hypogea inhabited from prehistoric times right up to the eighteenth century. The tufa rock is distinctive of this part of the Maremma, and the area includes the thermal baths of Saturnia, famed both for its 37° sulphurous waters and breathtaking waterfalls.

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