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Old Grosseto, the ancient heart of the Tuscan Maremma


Wednesday 26 february 2020

The ancient city center between squares, historic buildings, churches and streets where you can stroll and do shopping. Among the delicacies, local salami and cheese, pici all'amatriciana and wild boar. Among the desserts cantuccini with Vin Santo.

Old Grosseto, the ancient heart of the Tuscan Maremma

The Tuscan Maremma, which overlooks one of the most exciting stretches of Tyrrhenian coast, where the absolute protagonist is the horizon, seem to have boundless spaces.

The island of Elba and that of the Giglio seem to delimit its boundaries, to stem the boundless light that characterizes this land that belonged to the Etruscans.

Far south of Tuscany, the strip of land that interposes between the hinterland that holds some of the most appreciated architectural wonders of the world and a sea made of unique landscapes, is a succession of cultivated areas and wild nature, wide expanses of dotted colors from tiny villages and small towns.

The main of these cities, the heart of this land, the small capital of this important piece of Tuscany, is Grosseto, where we arrive after having enjoyed the countryside, hills and tiny perched villages.

Set in a wide plain, Grosseto is one of the few cities on the peninsula to have preserved the original structure of its ancient part.

We park in the modern area to access it by foot. These are the ancient walls, a defensive system of the old town, a rare example in Italy of walled enclosures that today have become practically intact, announcing the entrance into the old city.

Wall that develops for three kilometers, and is a rare example of late Renaissance military architecture.

The walk in the historic center includes Corso Carducci, the street of shops and shops, the heart of the city overlooked by several Renaissance and Art Nouveau buildings including Palazzo Marcucci, also known as Palazzo Berti, Palazzo Ariosti, Palazzo Cappelli and Palazzo Tognetti, among the most prestigious Art Nouveau buildings in the city center.

Also the street of the Giuoco del Cacio, the ring road that runs along the walls, Ricasoli street, overlooked by Palazzo Carmignani, a trapezoidal building, and Ginori street, which connects Piazza San Francesco, also known as Piazza Indipendenza, with piazza della Palma, are worth a visit to better appreciate the essence of the Maremma capital.

Piazza Ducale a Grosseto

Piazza Dante - Foto di Francesco D'Amicofrancesco_augh

Do not miss the beautiful Cathedral of San Lorenzo with, inside, a font of 1506, the Cassero Senese, an imposing medieval fortification dating back to the fourteenth century, and Palazzo Aldobrandeschi, located in Piazza Dante, also known as Palazzo della Provincia, strong Neo-Gothic character, made of travertine and bricks.

Two museums in the city that we decide to visit. The archaeological and art museum of the Maremma, located in the nineteenth-century palace of the old Court, which offers, in its forty rooms, a rich collection of Etruscan cinerary urns volterrane and manholes, Etruscan kits, amphorae and anchors, in a path that leads then to the interesting period of Romanization.

Then we move to the Museum of Natural History of the Maremma which proposes, among other attractions, a path between the minerals and rocks, the paleontological hall, a path between the coastal and hilly areas, and one of the high hill and mountain environments.

Walks, art, culture, a lot of history but also food and wine. In fact, we want to appreciate the flavors of its rich and tasty cuisine and we do not miss anything during our stay in the city.

A taste of Pecorino di Pienza, a few slices of finocchiona, salami flavored with fennel seeds and wet with red wine, a taste of ricotta and bruschetta with Cinta Senese lard are the cheeses and cold cuts offered by this land.

The tasty pici all'amatriciana, the typical local spaghettoni, and a good wild boar cacciatora, all washed down by a great red from Maremma, the Morellino di Scansano, are instead among the best first and second courses that we do not miss. Then the cantuccini are delicious with Vin Santo.

Maremma intorno a Grosseto

Maremma - Foto di @max_holiver

We leave the old Grosseto and greet the ancient ramparts of the city, guardians of the soul and the history of the ancient Maremma capital, to give us again the view of the Maremma lands, the poetry of its countryside, its hills and its villages.

Villages not to be missed if you're visiting Grosseto:

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