Maremma Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Maremma is in Tuscany
Contents |
Understand
History
Landscape
The landscape of the Maremma is extremely varied, because the Maremma extends over plains and hills, and has a fabulous coastline.
It is a very wild and low densely populated area, with very little industioalization.
The mediterranean maquis alternates with olive groves and vineyards, and sandy beaches with a rocky coastline.
The inland hills are rich in natural hot springs too.
Flora and fauna
Climate
Get in
Grosseto is on a major railway line and it is very well connected to Rome and Pisa. Busses connect the city to the minor centres and to Siena and Florence.
A car is necessary in most areas, though, because the public transportation is not very efficient.
Fees/Permits
Get around
The local bus company is called RAMA [1]. Their busses connect almost all the minor centres to Grosseto.
Isola del Giglio and Giannutri can be reached from Porto Santo Stefano and Castiglione della Pescaia.
A car is recommended to explore the area.
See
The Maremma can be ideally divied into 5 main areas:
- Grosseto and the Tyrrhenian Coast [2]
Grosseto can be considered the capital of the Maremma. The area around Grosseto and the coast, with Marina di Grosseto, Castiglione della Pescaia and the small villages that lie in the plain between the city and the coast, represents the heart of the Tuscan Maremma.
Grosseto itself has a beautiful cathedral and preserved city walls.
The area around Grosseto has been inhabited for millennia, and therefore spending a day or more visiting the many archaeological sites of this part of the Tuscan Maremma is well worth it. Roselle, which was once one of the twelve main Etruscan cities, and the Etruscan necropolis of Vetulonia are among the most remarkable historical sites in Italy. The area around Grosseto has been inhabited for millennia, and therefore spending a day or more visiting the many archaeological sites of this part of the Tuscan Maremma is well worth it. Roselle, which was once one of the twelve main Etruscan cities, and the Etruscan necropolis of Vetulonia are among the most remarkable historical sites in Italy.
Grosseto is very close to the coast: Castiglione della Pescaia and Marina di Grosseto are just a short drive.
- The Coast, the Beaches and the Sea of the Tuscan Maremma [3]
For those who enjoy the sun and the sea, the Maremma represents a real nature paradise. Each year, the coast of the Maremma is awarded the Blue Flag [4] recognizing the quality and the cleanness of the waters along its 160km of shoreline. The stretches of sandy and rocky coastline allow all sea lovers to find the perfect place for them. Moreover, the vast pine tree forests which border the beaches of the Maremma are a real naturalistic treasure and so are the few areas where the lagoon and swamp ecosystems have survived urbanization, reclamation or simple draining, such as the nature reserve of the Diaccia Botrona near Castiglione della Pescaia.
Among the most remarkable coastal towns of the Maremma: Castiglione della Pescaia, Follonica, Punt'Ala, the Argentario Peninsula, Marina di Alberese in the Maremma Nature Park [5], Ansedonia, Capalbio, Orbetello and Talamone.
The Tuscan Archipelago, with the island of Giglio and the little island of Giannutri, is very impressive, and can be visited on a minicruise leaving from one of the many harbours of the coast of the Maremma.
In this part of the Maremma there are many places of remarkable historic and artistic interest. This region has been populated since the Etruscan and Roman eras, and which then - in the sole case in this part of Italy - experienced the domination of the Spanish Empire, which left behind incredible stories of treasures and pirates. Last but not least, the Orbetello seaplane station hosted the takeoff of the first transatlantic flight in 1930.
- The Tufo Area: Pitigliano & co. [6]
The Tuff Area is named after tufo, a volcanic, porous rock commonly used as a building material. The tuff has been carved over the centuries to build houses, cellars, tombs or used to make "tufi", big square bricks which are typical of the villages and towns of this area of the hills of the Maremma.
The major centres of this area, which has still not experienced mass tourism, are Pitigliano, Sorano and Manciano. The unique feel of the Tuff Area derives from the mesh of Etruscan and Roman ruins, such as the tombs and the roads carved in tuff, and of medieval architecture, since it was in the Middle Ages that the Area del Tufo saw its second splendour after the glories of the Etruscan Empire. The perfectly preserved necropolises in Sovana and Poggio al Buco, the vie cave (amazing roads carved in tuff that pass through the woods), and medieval villages like Magliano in Toscana contribute to make this area one of the most beautiful in Tuscany. It also boasts naturalistic treasures such as the hot springs and spas of Saturnia, and the hills of the river Fiora, which supplies water to the vast majority of the Maremman villages and towns.
- The Colline Metallifere: the North of the Maremma [7]
The Colline Metallifere (literally, the metalliferous hills or the hills which produce metals) have always been the industrious heart of the Maremma and some places still point to times when the life on these hills was much harder. As their name says, the soil of these hills, which spread from the border with the Province of Siena to the Gulf of Follonica, are rich in minerals and mines have been excavated for centuries in search of iron, copper, lead, zinc, pyrites and silver.
A very impressive natural phenomenon connected to the geological richness of the soil of this area is the presence of "soffioni", borax fumaroles near Monterotondo Marittimo and Travale. Vapour rises high through the tree-branches of the "macchia mediterranea", the maquis.
The heart and capital of the Metalliferous Hills is Massa Marittima, a real architectonic jewel of the Middle Ages. However, many villages and castles in the area are of great historical and artistic interest. Roccastrada, Sassofortino, Roccatederighi, Montemassi, Monterotondo Marittimo and many other villages in this area should not be missed.
- The Inland hills[8]
This area is generally ignored by guidebooks and portals because its most valuable resource is probably its naturalistic heritage. These hills have always been an area of transition, located on the obligatory route between Siena and the sea. Inhabited since the Etruscan era, the internal position of these hills has protected and preserved its original character of rural areas developed during the Middle Ages. +
The inland hills of the Maremma extend over three "Comuni" (the territory of the local governments): Civitella Paganico, Campagnatico and Cinigiano. This area of the interior has become more and more popular among travellers during the past few years, especially because of its location at the crossroads with some of the most popular areas of Tuscany: Siena and Chianti, Val d'Orcia and Mount Amiata, the plains of the Maremma and the beach. It is the ideal base to explore Southern Tuscany without having to choose between the Siena area and the Maremma. Highway SS223 Siena - Grosseto, now called E78 Grosseto-Fano, runs through these hills. Its perfect location has influenced deeply the nature of this land. It can certainly be considered a real combination of "senesità", traits which characterize the area and people of Siena, and "maremmanità", traits which characterize the area and people of Grosseto and the Maremma.
The text of this section is courtesy of Casina di Rosa
A google map of the Maremma is available on the Slow Travel Website [9]
Do
- Signhtseeing (Grosseto, Massa Marittima, Pitigliano, Manciano, Vie Cave, Abbadia Ardenghesca, Civitella Paganico and more)
- Beaches: fun in the sun and the blue sea!
- Lots of restaurants (wild bore is the traditional meat in the Maremma)
- Nature Parks such as the Maremma Nature Park and Lake Burano
- Excellent wines (Morellino, Monteregio, Montecucco, just to name a few ones)
- Hiking
- Water sports
- Mountainbiking
- Horseback riding
- Fishing
- Golfing
- Hot Springs and Spas (Petriolo and Saturnia)
Buy
Eat
- Wildbore (cinghiale)
- Acqua cotta
- Tortelli maremmani
- Cured meat
- Manciano cheese
- Porcini mushrooms
- Sea food
- Fish
An excellent and fun way of eating good real traditional food at a reasonable price is by going to one of the many village festivals organized in the Summer: they are called Sagra.
Drink
D.O.C. Wines of the Maremma
- Morellino di Scansano
- Montecucco
- Monteregio
- Pitigliano Bianco
- Sovana
- Capalbio
- Parrina
Here is a page by the Regione Toscana on the Wine Trails of Tuscany [10]
Sleep
- Tenuta San Carlo, www.tenutasancarlo.com, Strada Provinciale 40 della Trappola 147/a 58046 Marina di Grosseto, (GR) Italia. Tel. & Fax +39 0564 31016. Situated in the regional park of the area, Parco dell'Uccellina, Tenuta San Carlo is a great example of what it's like to live on an Italian farm. The property is approximately 1,000 acres and has some of the most equisite examples of the flora and fauna of the area such as wildboar, horses, bovine, daini (small deer), foxes, porcupines, turtles, many species of rare Italian birds, pine forests, swamp land, and natural fresh water and salt water beaches.
- Casina di Rosa - Vacation rental in Maremma - Vacation rental in medieval hilltop village, Civitella Marittima, in the inland hills of the Maremma. On the border between the Siena region and the Maremma, it is the ideal base to explore many diverse areas of Tuscany. It can accommodate up to 3 people. It has received many excellent reviews, and it was chosen as Slow Travel Favourite in 2005. The website for this house is full of useful information about the Maremma and the Siena area, ideas for your holidays and a remarkable photogallery with hundreds of photos.
- Agriturismo in Maremma Il Passo degli Ulivi - Holiday farmhouse in the countryside of the Maremma, near Petriolo Hot Springs. 3 holiday rental apartments with airconditioning, garden, terraces and shared swimming pool.
- Holiday villa in Maremma Lo Scopetaccio - Beautiful holiday rental cottage on the Metalliferous hills, 2km away from the village of Sassofortino. It can accommodate up to 4 and has a huge private garden and use of the owners' swimming pool.
Lodging
Camping
Backcountry
Stay safe
Get out
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