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Elisa Scarton Detti
TRAVEL GUIDE TO
MAREMMA TOSCANA
23
Production
C&P Adver > Mario Papalini
Graphic Design
Federico Sada
Edited by
Stefanie Markidis
August 2014
Via Roma 14, 58031 Arcidosso (GR)
Tel. e Fax 0564 967139
cpadver@mac.com www.cpadver-effigi.com
Elisa Scarton Detti
MAREMMA TOSCANA
Elisa Scarton Detti
Elisa is a long time journalist, first time guidebook author, originally
from Melbourne, Australia. She discovered the Maremma Tuscany
as an English teacher in 2007. A sixth-month vacation became
a lifelong love affair after she met her husband, a born-and-bred
Maremmano. Now living in Manciano, Elisa discovers something
new to love about the Maremma every day. She is still astounded
by the pure beauty of the Parco della Maremma and infatuated with
the quiet charm of Montemerano. She adores the humble grace of
even the smallest festival and is constantly disarmed by the local
hospitality. But it’s the little things that capture her imagination.
The tiny differences that set every town and city apart from its
neighbour. The infinitesimal elements that make discovering every
town almost like discovering another world. It’s these differences
that make the Maremma impossible to forget and impossible to
tire of.
This guidebook wouldn’t have been possible without the love,
support and tireless patience of Giulio Detti, Maria, Elio and Anita
Scarton, Gabriella Serafinelli, Fiorenzo Detti and Stefanie Markidis.
A thousand thanks.
INTRODUCTION
The Maremma presses its back to the borders of Southern Tuscany
and Lazio like it’s playing a game of hide and seek. It’s quiet,
humble and, if you blink, you’ll most certainly miss it. Most tourists
do. In an act of brilliant espionage, the Maremma is overlooked
by the majority of Tuscany’s international visitors despite its size.
The province is the biggest in the region, stretching 4,500km2.
You won’t find it on a map though. The Maremma is a storybook
name that has, throughout history, defined the heart of Etruria,
encapsulated medieval dreams of feudal dominance, welcomed
the Medici and Napoleon Bonaparte and warned errant travellers
of bloodthirsty brigands.
In modern times, the Maremma was renamed the Provincia di
Grosseto. Not that the Maremmani pay this ridiculous name any
mind. They are stoically and frustratingly adverse to unification.
They even have a word for it: campanilismo - a pride that puts your
hometown above your neighbours, your province, your region.
This is not a new concept. The smallest Maremman town to its
biggest city developed independently over the millennia. Each has
its own history and heritage, dishes they serve at the dinner table
and stories they tell their children. The Maremmani are cantastorie
(storytellers), a habit they picked up in the 19th century when
malaria made their lives hard and short.
“The Maremma is full of the picturesque and beautiful; a beauty
peculiar and somewhat savage, it is true, like that of an Indian
maiden, yet fascinating in its wild unschooled luxuriance.” Victorian
Explorer George Dennis, 1832
The Maremma is the antithesis of Italy’s tourist-choked cities,
honest in both landscape and lifestyle, promising la dolce vita and
Tuscany off the beaten track. It’s the sort of place that shouldn’t
even have a guidebook, in case it attracts too many visitors and
ruins the splendour of the undiscovered. The Maremma has
maintained its natural beauty, agrarian charm and honest traditions
because it has been overlooked as a tourist destination for so
long. With tourists just now beginning to trickle in, the province
remains Italy of the early 1960s, before the gimmicky souvenir
shops and blasphemous tourist menu.
The Maremma is a micro-region, self-contained, with all the
ingredients for an unforgettable vacation. Its proximity to Rome
and Florence makes it an ideal destination for those of us
salivating for the traditional flavours of provincial Italian cooking.
Those of us who seek beautifully-preserved Etruscan, Roman,
medieval and Renaissance cities. Those of us who fast for an
empyrean landscape, where they can go from beach to snowdusted mountaintop in a few hours, as long as it includes a pit
stop at the famous Terme di Saturnia hot springs. And because
we’re still in Italy, those of us who prefer style to tradition. On the
coast of the Maremma, spectacular seaside resorts have become
a playground for the wealthy, and cities like Capalbio and Massa
Marittima, the epitome of shopping and cultural pursuits.
So congratulations on discovering the Maremma. Like all good
things, it won’t stay hidden forever.
Tuscany
Firenze
MAP OF MAREMMA
Rome
Grosseto and Surrounds • pag. 44
Colline Metallifere • pag. 78
Argentario Coast • pag. 116
The Fiora Valley • pag. 151
Monte Amiata • pag. 192
MONTEROTONDO M.MO
MONTIERI
CIVITELLA
PAGANICO
M. MARITTIMA
ROCCASTRADA
GAVORRANO
FOLLONICA
SCARLINO
CINIGIANO
CAMPAGNATICO
CASTIGLIONE
DELLA PESCAIA
GROSSETO
ROCCALBEGNA
SORANO
SEMPRONIANO
MAGLIANO
CAPALBIO
P.S. STEFANO
SORANO
PITIGLIANO
MANCIANO
GIGLIO
SEGGIANO
CASTEL DEL PIANO
ARCIDOSSO
SANTA FIORA
CASTELL’AZZARA
ORBETELLO
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Museo Archeologico di Orbetello
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WALKING MAP OF ORBETELLO
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ORBETELLO
Orbetello is a bustling town sandwiched between the shores of a
lagoon of the same name. The town dates back to the 8th century
BC. In later centuries, it was a stop for ships carrying the treasures of
Ancient Egypt and Africa, while in more modern times, an easy target
for marauding 15th-16th century pirates. For this reason, Orbetello has
little left of what must have been a rich Etruscan and Roman heritage.
Modern Orbetellani live in two worlds. Their town’s inner streets and
piazzas are unashamedly chic, flecked with Renaissance relics and
possessed by a timeless grandeur and beauty that comes from
sharing in the riches of thousands of ships. Its outer streets are, as if
by perfect design, wild and natural, bordered by palm trees, picnicperfect gardens and protected parklands. In the evening, the best
place to be is at Orbetello Lagoon, as the sun sets behind Monte
Guide to Maremma Tuscany
3. THE ARGENTARIO COAST - 125
Argentario and nocturnal animals make an appearance. Orbetello’s
first fishmongers date back to the 15th century, and today, the lagoon
remains famous for two gastronomic delights: bottarga and smoked
eel (pag. 128).
Tourist office: Piazza della Repubblica ( +39 0564 860447)
Sights:
Orbetello begins at the Porta del Soccorso, Porta Nuova and
Porta a Terra, three arches that guard the city. Restored in the 17th
century, their Spanish Baroque facades bear various coats of arms.
The statue of St Blaise, the town’s protector, stands above them.
Follow Viale Mura di Levante to the faded white facade of the
Polveriera Guzman. Built in 1692, this building stored explosives for
the industries that carried the town’s economy. Today, it’s home to the
Museo Archeologico di Orbetello (Viale Mura di Levante; Jan-Mar:
Sat: 2:30pm-5:30pm / Apr-Jun and Sept-Dec: Sat: 4pm-7pm,
Sun: 10am-1pm and 4pm-7pm / Jul-Aug: Fri, Sat, Sun:
6pm10pm; +39 0564 860378; free) On the museum’s first floor, Roman
and Etruscan life is recreated with the Frontone di Talamone (pag.
126) and other richly decorated votive pieces. The Etruscans loved
banquets. Unlike the Ancient Greeks, Etruscan women dined with
their men, enjoying aromatic wines and game meats perfumed by the
incense that burned in thymiaterion like the one that is on display in
this museum.
Orbetello’s main strip, Corso Italia, has a hint of old luxury with
its richly painted homes and high-end stores. Halfway down is the
magnificent Palazzo dei Governanti with its 16th century clock
tower.
Head right to the Piazza della Repubblica and Orbetello’s
Duomo, which is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and believed
to have been enlarged over the ruins of a pre-existing Pagan temple
in 1201. The rose window is framed by sculptures representing local
political and/or religious heroes. Inside, the most beautiful section is
the Cappella di San Biagio, added in the 17th century, and home to
St Blaise’s head in a precious silver-embossed reliquary bust. The
126 - 3. THE ARGENTARIO COAST
Guide to Maremma Tuscany
bust sits on an altar of rare high medieval marble design. Much of the
rest of the cathedral’s walls are deliberately kept bare to emphasise
the striking 19th-20th century frescos that adorn the dome above the
main altar.
THE SPANISH STATE
In the 16th century war between France and Spain, the reigning Republic of Siena
picked the wrong side and lost the Maremma to the Medici. The Medici offered the
Argentario Coast to the Kingdom of Spain, who set up a client state called the Stato
dei Presidi. From their capital in Orbetello, the Spanish shared their culture, food and
traditions with the whole coast. They also built the many towers you can still see today.
These were protection against the Turkish pirate Barbarossa, aka Kahyr-ad-Din, and
his offspring, who would frequently invade the Argentario Coast, kidnap its residents
and sell them at slave markets in Istanbul and Africa.
THE FRONTONE DI TALAMONE
The Frontone di Talamone is a terracotta relief depicting the ancient Greek myth Seven
Against Thebes, which tells the dramatic climax of the war between Eteocles and
Polynices, sons of Oedipus and Jocasta. It’s one of the few remaining examples of
Etruscan-Hellenic art (2nd century BC) and is in the Museo Archeologico di Orbetello
(pag. 125). The relief has intensely expressive figures like that of blind Oedipus among
the bodies of his dead sons and Amphiaraus sinking into hell.
Outside of Orbetello
Orbetello Lagoon
(Loc. Ceriolo III, Albinia; 1 May-1 Sept: Sat and Sun:
3:30pm or upon request; +39 0564 862439; free)
9:30am-
Orbetello Lagoon is the only marine lagoon in the world that’s
perpendicular, not parallel, to the sea. It’s a lovely place to visit in the
summer season, when you can catch regular boat and walking tours.
From its shores you can see the Mulino Spagnolo, one of nine
windmills built by the Sienese. In the 16th century, Orbetello’s fishermen
would row boats full of Maremman grain to be ground into flour at these
mills. Orbetello’s lagoon is also a WWF oasis, home to more than 450
bird species.
Guide to Maremma Tuscany
3. THE ARGENTARIO COAST - 127
Museo della Cultura Contadina
(Via Salvo d’Acquisto, Albinia; Fri, Sat and Sun; +39 0564 872084)
This museum is dedicated to the rural transformation of Southern
Maremma in the 20th century. Divided chronologically over three
rooms, its collection of paintings, tools, photographs and maps
showcases the social history of a period wrought with struggles for
land, share cropping, malaria and food shortages.
Cosa
(Via delle Ginestre 35, Ansedonia;
free)
9am-7pm; +39 0564 881421;
Cosa isn’t the most exciting archaeological site, but with free entry,
it’s worth a look. Cosa was founded in 273 BC. It developed into
a thriving agricultural and urban centre, but was destroyed in 70
BC during a war between pirates and the Romans. The city was
resurrected, but never to the size it was before the war. Today, most
of the city hasn’t been unearthed. Cosa’s museum ( 2 entry) has
a limited collection of votive, vases and other Etruscan and Roman
artefacts, but there’s a definite sense the best stuff has been carted
off to display elsewhere. Near the museum are Republican-age tiles
with their typical black and white geometrical designs.
Head straight up the path to the most interesting part of the
site, the arx or citadel. The biggest building with views of Orbetello
Lagoon was the Capitolium, a temple built around 150 BC and used
for ceremonies.
Next door in the templum augurale, where burnt sacrificial remains
were found. The smaller temple is thought to have been dedicated to
a god of sea and fertility known to the Romans as Mater Matuta. At
the other end of Cosa, you can see the ruins of a 150 BC basilica,
inside of which a smaller Byzantine-era (6th century) church was built.
128 - 3. THE ARGENTARIO COAST
Guide to Maremma Tuscany
GASTRONOMES
Orbetello is famous for two Maremman delicacies: marinated eel and bottarga. Brought
to the city by the Spanish in the 16th century, marinated eel was traditionally served in
an acidic sauce known as escabeche, but the Orbetellani prefer it with vinegar, garlic,
chilli and rosemary. Today, you can buy eel from any local deli. The meat should be
flash-fried and served with a drizzle of olive oil.
Bottarga is the cured roe pouch of a grey mullet. The history of this delicacy dates back
to when the town council would pay its fishermen in the unwanted sections of fish.
While it may be called ‘poor man’s caviar’, bottarga is actually highly prized and quite
expensive. The best versions are cured by hand for a dark amber colour. Traditionally,
bottarga is sliced thinly over warm toast with a drizzle of lemon juice or shaved over
pasta dishes.
Event:
Gustatus, end of October, start of November.
Meaning ‘The Sense of Taste’ in Latin, Gustatus is a food festival
where local restaurateurs, farmers and wine producers come together
to celebrate peasant and lagoon fare, including the much-coveted
spaghetti alla bottarga.
Guide to Maremma Tuscany
3. THE ARGENTARIO COAST - 147
ACTIVITIES
Mini cruises
Three of Argentario’s best cruise companies:
Le Crociere del Sole (Revenge Navigazione, Via Marconi 2, Porto
Santo Stefano; +39 0564 818022; adult/reduced: 40/ 30) runs
full-day boat trips to Giglio and Giannutri Islands four times a week
between March and September. The cruise includes lunch and
snorkelling gear.
Blu Navy Cruise (Piazza Garibaldi 13, Castiglione della Pescaia;
+39 0564 071007; adult/reduced: 30/ 15) also sails to Giglio and
Giannutri Islands, but departs from Castiglione della Pescaia. Halfprice tickets can be purchased online the night before during the low
season (October- February).
Isla Negra (
+39 346 8504535) runs weekend-long cruises
between Giglio and Giannutri Islands for 200- 300 on their antique
ship. It has three cabins with double beds and modern amenities.
Meals are included. Diving lessons are available at extra cost.
Boat rental companies
These are everywhere in Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano.
Rentals range from about 120 during low season to 200 during
high season a day, depending on the size of the boat. A boat license
isn’t always needed. Zeurino Barche ( +39 0564 818728) and
Biba Boats ( +39 0564 820116) both have easy-to-use websites.
Water sports
Talamone is the kite surfing capital of the Maremma. TWKC (Porto
Garibaldi, Talamone; +39 329 2426342) is the coastline’s premier
kite surf school. Instructors also teach wind surfing, paddle boarding
and surfing. You can rent all the equipment on site.
Snorkelling and scuba diving
Two of Porto Santo Stefano’s favourite pastimes. Argentario Diving
148 - 3. THE ARGENTARIO COAST
Guide to Maremma Tuscany
Planet ( +39 0564 810870), Diving Il Nostromo ( +39 331
7245159), Centro Immersioni Costa d’Argento ( +39 339
1154292) and Argentario Scuba Point Centre (
+39 348
9527477) are some of the coast’s best companies. The average
guided shore dive costs 35.
RESOURCES
Have you ever been excited about a restaurant or hotel mentioned
in a guidebook only to visit and find it’s closed? There is always
somewhere new to sleep, eat and shop in the Maremma Tuscany.
For an up-to-date list of the province’s best hotels, restaurants and
shops, and my recommendations, visit: www.maremma-tuscany.
com / amenities.
INDEX
Introduction
Map of Maremma
Planning your trip
Getting in and around
Practical information
Accomodation
Food and drink
Environment
Art and culture
History
Grosseto and surrounds
Walking map of Grosseto
Grosseto
Castiglione della Pescaia
Vetulonia
Punta Ala
Follonica
Activities
Resources
Colline Metallifere
Walking map of Massa Marittima
Massa Marittima
Scarlino
Gavorrano
Roccastrada
Montieri
Monterotondo Marittimo
Activities
Resources
The Argentario Coast
Capalbio
Walking map of Orbetello
7
9
11
14
18
20
23
28
33
38
44
47
49
57
62
66
69
73
75
78
82
83
93
97
102
104
107
110
112
116
118
123
Orbetello
Porto Ercole
Porto Santo Stefano
Map of Argentario’s beaches
Giglio Island
Giannutri Island
Talamone
Activities
Resources
The Fiora Valley
Walking map of Manciano
Manciano
Montemerano
Saturnia
Poggio Murella
Walking map of Pitigliano
Pitigliano
Sorano
Sovana
Scansano
Magliano in Toscana
Activities
Resources
Monte Amiata
Campagnatico
Roccalbegna
Santa Fiora
Walking map of Arcidosso
Arcidosso
Cinigiano
Castel del Piano
Seggiano
Castell’Azzara
Activities
Resources
Recipes
124
129
132
136
138
142
144
147
148
151
153
154
159
162
166
168
169
175
180
184
187
190
190
192
195
198
201
206
207
212
214
219
222
224
225
227
Photo credits:
Most of the photos were provided by the author, with special thanks to Luigi Prosperi,
with exception of the following:
Front cover: Marcel Oosterwijk; Games of Thrones: Pitigliano; Flickr; http://bit.
ly/1ufg4u2 (CC BY SA-2.0)
pag.13: Andrea Sartorati; Frazione di Roselle, Grosseto - Agriturismo Il Marruchetone;
Flickr; http://bit.ly/1joFL6e (CC BY 2.0)
pag.42: Io Tangelini; Flickr; http://bit.ly/1olWEX7 (CC BY-SA 2.0)
pag.49: Allan Parsons; Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, GR; Flickr; http://bit.ly/1hTyW1V
(CC BY 2.0)
pag.61 and pag.106: N.Poltronieri; Giardino dei Suoni
pag.66: Alle; Punta Ala Tuscany Italy; Flickr, http://bit.ly/SG4yvw (CC BY-SA 2.0)
pag.69, pag.93 and pag.102: Nedo Conti; Follonica, Scarlino and Roccastrada
pag.83: Paolo Trabattoni; Massa Marittima; Flickr; http://bit.ly/1qbkHaO (CC BY 2.0)
pag.88: Sailko; Museo archeologico di massa marittima, stele antropomorfa del III millennio ac; http://bit.ly/1olLt0B; (CC BY 2.5)
pag.97: Christihan; SAM 0784 Panorama Gavorrano; http://bit.ly/1lsY528 (CC BY SA3.0)
pag.99: Roberto Ferrari; Chiesetta; Flickr; http://bit.ly/1p1BeKJ (CC BY-SA 2.0)
pag.112: Rabendeviaregia; MG9591; Flickr; http://bit.ly/1l8Es0Y (CC BY-SA 2.0)
pag.129: André Mouraux; Porto Ercole; Flickr; http://bit.ly/1joHB7h (CC BY 2.0)
pag.138: André Mouraux; Giglio Island; Flickr; http://bit.ly/TSEDBT (CC BY 2.0)
pag.142: Aldo Ardetti; Porto Romano dell’Isola del Giannutri; http://bit.ly/1prIdQL (CC
BY 3.0)
pag.169: Jose Gonzalez; Pitigliano; Flickr; http://bit.ly/1xUxzEs (CC BY 2.0)
pag.180: Graziella De Carli; Sovana
pag.183: Ebiggs Vancouver; Etruscan Sea Demon; Flickr; http://bit.ly/1vakynY (CC
BY 2.0)
pag.184: Elio Scarton, Scansano
pag.192: Michele Gandolfi; Buddha di Merigar West; http://bit.ly/1lhnLuf (CC BY 3.0)
pag.195: Michela Simoncini; Campagnatico main square; Flickr; http://bit.ly/ST8ZU5
(CC BY 2.0)
pag.198: Ochibell, DSC_0058; http://bit.ly/1joKuoz (CC BY 2.0)
pag.207: Alexandre A Kupac; l’odore di basilico rimane nell’aria; Flickr; http://bit.
ly/1kTdB7W (CC BY 2.0)
pag.212: Nina Zafaz; Cinigiano; Flickr; http://bit.ly/1qGGvbG (CC BY 2.0)
pag.214: Zyance; Casteldelpiano z03; http://bit.ly/1qGHfO7 (CC BY SA 3.0)
pag.221: Salvatore Barbera; Dies Irae; Flickr; http://bit.ly/1prMYdd (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Printed in
August 2014
on behalf of