Here are some suggestions for planning your Maremma discovery tour however you like...
Itinerary I
Niki de Saint Phalle and the Tarot Garden
The Tarot Garden It is an incredible park created by Niki de Saint Phalle in the Maremma countryside and completely inspired by the maps of the TarotThe construction of the Garden began in 1979 and ended in 2002 with the artist's death. During this long journey, Niki de Saint Phalle, supported by famous names in international contemporary art and local specialized workers, created twenty-two monumental sculptures inspired by the major arcana, some of which are so large as to be habitable.
The statues allow tourists to lose themselves inside, to marvel at the infinite materials, details, and colors that decorate them, and to escape from the real world on a dreamlike journey incredibly rich in suggestions.
Some of the sculptures in the Tarot Garden
The day can be completed by a visit to Capalbio, ancient castle majestically perched on a hill, from which it still dominates the surrounding area and the coast, allowing visitors who walk along the walls to enjoy a breathtaking view of the Maremma and its sea. A stroll through the village's characteristic alleys will allow tourists, passing by Porta Senese, the Rocca, and the Pieve di San Niccolò, to browse the charming shops of the historic center.
On the way back, the day can end with a stop at the direct sales point of the estate Ancient Farm La Parrina, where it will be possible to buy the company's products, which offers a wide choice of fresh fruit and vegetables, goat, cow and sheep cheeses, including the award-winning Guttus, jams, honey and preserves, cosmetic products and much more, as well as a vast selection of DOC and IGT wines
Itinerary II
Massa Marittima and the Maremma between medieval and contemporary architecture
Heart of the Metalliferous Hills, Massa Marittima It is the treasure chest of medieval architecture and art in Maremma. The alleys of the Old City are a precious backdrop that opens onto the splendid Cathedral of San Cerbone, a wonderful example of Tuscan Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The morning will be dedicated to visiting the historic center, with the precious Cathedral of San Cerbone, the municipal buildings, the Sienese walls, and the Città Nova district.
Cathedral of San Cerbone in Massa Marittima
In the afternoon we will immerse ourselves even more closely in medieval art, with a visit to the Museum of Sacred Art, housed in the evocative complex of San Pietro all'Orto, in Città Nuova. Among the colors of the Sienese school and its elegant figures we can admire some splendid 14th and 15th century paintings, including the marvelous Maestà di Ambrogio Lorenzetti, painted between 1335 and 1337 for the community of Massa.
The day can end with a stop at the winery Frassinello Fortress with its precious and innovative cellar designed by Renzo Piano and located in the center of a wonderful natural amphitheater of hills.
Itinerary III
“And you'll see how safe Santafior is”
Life on the Mount Amiata has always been intertwined with the history of mining. Santa Fiora, a charming village in the Grosseto mountains, is no exception. Its history is also linked to the seat of a county, before the family Aldobrandeschi, a protagonist of the Maremma Middle Ages, and later controlled by the Sforza family. These ancient, noble, and powerful families left behind many architectural testimonies to the ancient glories of Santa Fiora, also recalled by Dante in his Divine Comedy (Purgatory, VI).
View of the Santa Fiora fishpond
We will discover this fascinating past by walking between the slender Aldobrandesca tower, a centuries-old sentinel of the castle, the parish church of Santa Flora and Lucilla with its refined cycle of Robbian terracotta, technological vanguard of a Florentine Renaissance in full swing, the Fishpond, idle noble oasis of the Sforza counts, until Jewish ghetto It arose around the water-rich canals, essential resources for the artisanal activities of the Montecatino district.
Optional visit to the Museum of the Mercury Mines of Monte Amiata.
Itinerary IV
The Spanish in Maremma: the Forts of Argentario and Orbetello
A fascinating journey into the ancient State of the Principals, Spanish outpost in the heart of Maremma, which will begin with the visit of Hercules Gates, protected by monumental sixteenth- and seventeenth-century fortresses. The visit of Fort Stella, a unique military architecture of its type, with its star-shaped plan, will take us to one of the most fascinating and panoramic sites of the promontory ofArgentario.
Fort Stella
The move to Porto Santo Stefano, on the southern side of the promontory, will be dedicated to the visit of the Spanish Fortress and its permanent exhibitions. The archaeological exhibition of the “Submerged Memories” will offer us a dive into the past, telling us the history of naval trade in our seas from the 6th century BC to the 3rd century AD.
The journey in the footsteps of the Spanish can continue by visiting the characteristic village of Orbetello, whose Etruscan walls and houses seem to float on the calm waters of the lagoon of the same name.
Itinerary V
The Abbey of San Galgano and the Hermitage of Montesiepi
A journey back in time, to the era of monks and knights, with a visit to the evocative Abbey of San Galgano, a splendid Cistercian building, located in the countryside between Grosseto and Siena, in the municipality of Chiusdino. The site also includes theMontesiepi hermitage, giving us two religious buildings very different from each other, yet both unique in their beauty and rare in their typology. The landscape surrounding the churches and the Cistercian church's lack of a roof lend an already incredibly mystical atmosphere a surprising fairytale quality.
Abbey of San Galgano
Itinerary VI
"Women, Knights, Arms, Love." The County of Ursinea and the Renaissance in the Tufi Area
A journey through the late Middle Ages and Renaissance Maremma to discover the Ursinea County and its charming villages, nestled on tuff spurs, whose origins were carved into the rock as early as ancient times.
We will visit Sovana and Sorano They will tell us their long and complex history, from the fascinating Etruscan necropolises to the imposing medieval and Renaissance fortresses. In Sorano, as in Pitigliano, the Orsini family called upon the most accomplished military engineers of the 16th century to build a majestic and impregnable fortress. A tour of this fortress will allow us to delve into the labyrinthine halls of power, imagining the fascinating life of these Maremma courts.
Evocative night view of Pitigliano
In the afternoon we will find out Pitigliano with its medieval alleys lined with ancient tuff buildings, the Jewish ghetto, the Medici aqueduct, the Orsini Palace and the cathedral, all enclosed in an urban landscape magically and masterfully fused with the tuff cliff on which Pitigliano stands.
Itinerary VII
Between Art and Nature: Mount Amiata and Daniel Spoerri's Garden
Among the artists fascinated by our territory and so in love with this land that they made it the heart of their artistic projects, Daniel Spoerri He began working on his Garden in the early 90s, giving the Grosseto side of the Mount Amiata One of the largest and most inspiring contemporary art parks in Tuscany. Opened to the public in 1997, the Garden hosts over one hundred works by fifty different artists, spread across approximately 16 hectares. A walk and a journey to a place where the natural beauty of the Maremma mountains and artistic creativity have merged in the most graceful harmony, enchanting us with color, emotion, and wonder.
One of the works of Daniel Spoerri's Garden
Itinerary VIII
“Return Journey” by Rodolfo Lacquaniti
Rodolfo Lacquaniti, bioarchitect, is the artist who conceived and created the Garden “Return journey”, one of the most important environmental art gardens in Europe, immersed in the greenery of the Maremma. A journey of contemporary and environmental art that finds its core and heart in the natural space of the Podere il Leccio, in the Municipality of Castiglione della Pescaia, where Lacquaniti's installations, all made with waste and recycled materials, give new and surprising meanings to the objects and materials discarded by the production cycle.
“The Mutants”. Works by Rodolfo Lacquaniti.
“The long-term goal is ethical and cultural: to provide the community with viable models for social change, choosing paths that are not market-driven, stimulating reflection and debate, promoting effective forms of collaboration, and embracing alternative visions, for a harmonious and responsible concept of the relationship between humanity and the environment. In the name of beauty.” (Helga Marsala, Artribune)
