Casale Marittimo

Casale Marittimo is located in the Maremma Pisana on a hill overlooking the Val di Cecina, in Tuscany. It is set on a hill overlooking the Tuscan Archipelago and the coast, which is only 12 km away. It is immersed in the greenery of typical Mediterranean scrub and there are archaeological sites such as Casalvecchio and Casa Nocera.

"To the right comes a sloping hill that stretches out to the sea, and in whose last back is the modern Casale." Giovanni Targioni Tozzetti, an erudite traveler, in the middle of the 18th century, evidently gave voice to the tradition that two castles existed: Casalvecchio, whose name has remained to indicate a hill to the southeast of the present country, and Casalnuovo, today Casale Marittimo. The area, rich in mineral waters, game, salt, along with climatic mildness, had in the past favored human settlements ever since. And just on the hill of Casalvecchio, archaeological excavations have brought to light the remains of an Etruscan village of the seventh century BC But the most extraordinary discovery is that of the necropolis of Casa Nocera, a burial complex of orientalizing age, belonging to the warrior princes Etruscan, dominating the area. In the 6th century. B.C. the tomb of the Poggiarelle tholos dates back to 1896, an exceptional example of Etruscan funerary architecture, found in the archaeological museum in Florence.

The old town is made up of stone buildings that follow the development of the two medieval walled circles at concentric rings. The Castle is accessed via a ramp where the tower of the clock erected in 1854 rises. From the main square you reach the villages, quarters developed outside the castle walls from the late 1500's, with characteristic alleys, arcades and staircases. From the point of view of history are interesting the Pieve di Sant'Andrea, the palace of the Canonica, the Church of San Sebastiano and the Chapel of the Madonna delle Grazie, rich in archaeological finds of Roman era.

Around the country, and between this and the sea, extends a richly cultivated countryside that produces cerali, oil, honey and a fine wine, DOC Montescudaio.

Dense calendar, from spring to fall, that of fairs and parties. Among the various gourmet events in July, the traditional Snail of the Chiocciole and in August the wild boar.