Grosseto and Maremma Grossetana

<< Tuscany

The Maremma Grossetana is the section of the Maremma in the Province of Grosseto. This is a coastal area located along the Tyrrhenian Sea, and was once a marshland. Now it features various seaside resorts and historic sites. Along this coast are also the Orbetello Lagoon and the promontory of Monte Argentario. The most important city in the Maremma is Grosseto.

Grosseto

Grosseto is the most important city of the Maremma, a coastal area that stretches between southwestern Tuscany and northwestern Lazio. The town was founded in the Middle Ages and, after numerous wars, it was ruled by Siena and then Florence. Grosseto remained a small village until the Italian unification, and then saw a huge development as an agricultural and industrial center and the capital of its own province.

✪ Archaeological and Art Museum of Maremma

The Archaeological and Art Museum of Maremma (Museo Archeologico e d’Arte della Maremma) is a rich museum of archaeology and art in Grosseto. The museum houses a large collection of Etruscan and Roman objects and artworks that have been unearthed in Maremma, including a section dedicated to the ancient town of Rusellae, located north of Grosseto. The museum also features other archaeological finds from the Middle Ages, and a collection of religious artworks dating between the 13th and 20th century.

✪ Maremma Regional Park

The Maremma Regional Park (Parco Regionale della Maremma) is a large natural park that covers the coastal area of Maremma southwest of Grosseto, and stretches into the municipality of Orbetello. The park includes some unspoiled natural areas, such as the dense forests of the Uccellina Mountains and the swampy region at the mouth of the Ombrone river.

Grosseto Cathedral

Also known as: Cathedral of San Lorenzo (Cattedrale di San Lorenzo)

The Grosseto Cathedral (Duomo di Grosseto) is the main church in Grosseto. The building was erected starting in the late 13th century in Romanesque style, and was restored and reworked various times until the 20th century. The facade features elaborate decorations, while inside it hosts various artworks, such as a 15th-century baptismal font. A 2nd-century Roman column that was found in the archaeological area of Rusellae, known as Colonna dei Bandi, is just outside the church.

Gianfranco Luzzetti Collection Museum

The Gianfranco Luzzetti Collection Museum (Museo Collezione Gianfranco Luzzetti) is an art museum in Grosseto. Its collection includes various paintings and sculptures by Italian artists from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical period.

Natural History Museum of Maremma

The Natural History Museum of Maremma (Museo di Storia Naturale della Maremma) is a museum of natural history in Grosseto. The museum features exhibitions dedicated to the environment of Maremma, with sections dedicated to local geology, fauna, and flora.

Walls of Grosseto

The walls that surround the old town of Grosseto are among the best preserved city walls in Italy. The current fortifications were built in the late 16th century in Renaissance style, but a few sections of the medieval walls are still present today, such as the Porta Vecchia city gate and the large fort called Cassero Senese.

Archaeological Area of Rusellae

Centuries before Grosseto was founded, the Etruscan town of Rusellae was one of the most important cities in the region. The town was conquered by the Romans in 294 BCE and declined in the Early Middle Ages. Due to Barbarian and Saracen attacks and a malaria epidemic, Rusellae was eventually abandoned in favor of Grosseto. The ruins of the old town, located north of Grosseto, include a Roman amphitheater, thermal baths, various houses and other buildings, and sections of the ancient walls.

Marina di Grosseto

Marina di Grosseto is a seaside resort in the municipality of Grosseto. Once a small fishing village, it is now a tourist destination known for its beaches and the forests on the hills around the town.

Orbetello

Orbetello is a town located at the center of a lagoon on the southwestern coast of Tuscany, in the Province of Grosseto. Inhabited by the Etruscans and Romans in ancient times, Orbetello was governed by Siena in the Late Middle Ages, and then became part of the State of the Presidi, a small territory under Spanish rule. The small state was later governed by Austria and then the Kingdom of Naples, before becoming part of Tuscany, and eventually Italy. Orbetello is now a tourist destination thanks to its beautiful and peculiar environment.

✪ Orbetello Lagoon

The Orbetello Lagoon (Laguna di Orbetello) is a coastal lagoon separated from the Tyrrhenian sea by two narrow strips of land that link the Tuscan mainland to the Monte Argentario promontory. The town of Orbetello is located on a long peninsula that cuts through the center of the lagoon. The area is a natural reserve and one of the most interesting wetlands in Italy, inhabited by numerous species of birds. A historic windmill, erected under Spanish rule, is located in the lagoon, just off the coast of Orbetello.

Orbetello Cathedral

The Orbetello Cathedral (Duomo di Orbetello) is a historic church in Orbetello, erected in the Late Middle Ages and later reworked a few times. The church features various decorations, including an elaborate portal on its facade, and some interesting artwokrs.

Archaeological Museum of Orbetello

The Archaeological Museum of Orbetello (Museo Archeologico di Orbetello) is an archaeological museum hosted in a former military building erected in the 17th century. The museum houses a collection of objects dating between prehistory and the Roman age, with a large section dedicated to the Etruscan civilization.

National Archaeological Museum of Cosa

The National Archaeological Museum of Cosa (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Cosa) is a museum and archaeological area located in Ansedonia, a seaside town near Orbetello. The museum houses several ancient artworks, such as sculptures and ceramics, and includes the ruins of the Roman city of Cosa.

Talamone

Talamone is a small seaside resort located at the southern end of the Maremma Regional Park, in the municipality of Orbetello. Founded as an Etruscan port, it remained a relevant town for centuries, and an important military position thanks to the Rocca Aldobrandesca. This castle, erected in the Late Middle Ages, is linked to a series of medieval walls that surround the town of Talamone to this day. The village is now a tourist destination thanks to its beaches.

Monte Argentario

Monte Argentario is a municipality in the Province of Grosseto, and a rocky peninsula linked to the mainland by narrow strips of land that form the Orbetello Lagoon. The area has always shared the history of nearby Orbetello, and it is now a popular tourist destination. The two main towns of Monte Argentario are the larger Porto Santo Stefano to the north, and the smaller Porto Ercole to the south.

Spanish Fortress of Porto Santo Stefano

The Spanish Fortress (Fortezza Spagnola) is a fort located at the center of Porto Santo Stefano. Built under Spanish rule, like various other fortifications on Monte Argentario, it has now been turned into a museum. This museum houses various archaeological finds and ancient artworks, and an exhibition dedicated to local shipbuilding.

Mediterranean Aquarium of Costa d’Argento

The Mediterranean Aquarium of Costa d’Argento (Acquario Mediterraneo della Costa d’Argento) is an aquarium in Porto Santo Stefano. Its exhibitions are focused on the fauna of the southwestern coast of Tuscany, and it houses several local species of marine creatures.

Forts of Porto Ercole

Due to the historic military importance of Monte Argentario, numerous fortifications have been erected on the promontory, especially around Porto Ercole. These include the Spanish forts of Forte Stella, Forte Filippo, and Forte Santa Caterina, and the medieval Rocca Aldobrandesca. Porto Ercole also features some ancient walls surrounding its old town.

Capalbio

Capalbio is a small town at the southern end of the Province of Grosseto. The town emerged during the Middle Ages, and it hosts a few historic buildings.

Tarot Garden

The Tarot Garden (Giardino dei Tarocchi) is a park located south of Capalbio, near the border with Lazio. The garden features a series of sculptures made in the late 20th century by French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle. The statues depict various peculiar figures inspired by the esoteric tarot cards, including a sphinx that also served as the residence of the artist.

Castiglione della Pescaia

Castiglione della Pescaia is a seaside town located along the coast of Maremma in the Province of Grosseto. Inhabited since ancient times, the town developed around a castle in the Late Middle Ages, and later became an important port. Now Castiglione della Pescaia is a popular tourist destination and seaside resort.

Casa Rossa Ximenes

Casa Rossa Ximenes is an 18th-century building erected during the reclamation works in the local marshes. Now it houses a museum dedicated to the flora, fauna, and local environment of the Diaccia Botrona Natural Reserve, a wetland located just east of Castiglione della Pescaia.

Punta Ala

Punta Ala is a small coastal village located at the end of a promontory west of Castiglione della Pescaia. The town is a popular seaside resort featuring some historic buildings including a castle. Just off the coast of Punta Ala is a tiny island called Isolotto dello Sparviero. Punta Ala and Isolotto dello Sparviero together form a natural reserve.

Vetulonia

Vetulonia is a village located on the site of an ancient Etruscan city among the hills of the Province of Grosseto, in the municipality of Castiglione della Pescaia.

Archaeological Area of Vetulonia

Vetulonia was once an ancient Etruscan city, and one of the most important settlements of this civilization. The town was eventually conquered by the Romans and slowly abandoned. The ruins of Vetulonia include a necropolis, ancient walls, and a few other structures.

Isidoro Falchi Civic Archaeological Museum

The Isidoro Falchi Civic Archaeological Museum (Museo Civico Archeologico Isidoro Falchi) is an archaeological museum in Vetulonia. The museum is dedicated to the ancient Etruscan city once located here, and it features exhibitions on the history of the town and a rich collection of objects and artworks unearthed in the nearby archaeological area.

Scarlino

Scarlino is a small hilltop town in the Province of Grosseto. The town has been inhabited since ancient times, and now it features some historic buildings.

Riccardo Francovich Documentation Center of the Territory

The Riccardo Francovich Documentation Center of the Territory (Centro di Documentazione del Territorio Riccardo Francovich) is an archaeological museum in Scarlino. Its collection includes various prehistoric and Etruscan artworks, along with several historic ceramics, coins, and other finds. The museum also houses an exhibit on the history of the Rocca Pisana, a medieval castle located nearby.