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MAREMMA.Tuscany.
The very name has a magical quality, summoning timeless images of avenues of cypress trees winding up low
hills to oxblood farmhouses, ordered landscapes of vines and olive groves and the richness
of artistic treasures contrasting with the enduring simplicity of rural ways. Million of visitors have over the years
made their way to the famous cities of Florence, the
storehouse of the Renaissance, Siena, with its atmospheric medieval streets, and Pisa with
its leaning tower. The Tuscan trail is
well-known, and well-trodden. In some Tuscan
towns these days Italian is more rarely heard than English or German. But there is another Tuscany, still
within close reach of the Renaissance glories but altogether less frequented, where the
region’s authentic life is still to be found. South
of the Siena, in the city’s former lands to the south east and west, are two areas
which offer a new and exciting insight into Tuscan life: the Val d’Orcia and the
Maremma. This is the hidden Tuscany now
waiting to be discovered. The Maremma, one of the least developed
parts of central Italy, is a delight for the historian, nature-lover and sun-worshipper
alike. This was the heartland of the
Etruscans, the mysterious race who dominated central Italy before the birth of the Roman
Empire and whose legacy can be explored throughout the area, from the ruins of Vetulónia
and Roselle in the north to the rock tombs of Sovana and Pitigliano in the south. The sparsely populated hills and lowlands of the
Maremma are home to an incredible variety of plant and animal life which can form the
scenic backdrop to leisurely touring or can be appreciated up close, in waymarked woodland
walks or excursions into the wonderful Regional Park of the Maremma. And from the old fishing village of Castiglione
della Pescaia down to the furthest reaches of the Regional Park, there are kilometres of
undeveloped sandy beach, free from the usual serried rows of chairs and umbrellas. |
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Travel ŕ la carte |
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