Places to Visit in Italy

The most beautiful beach in Italy

... and that is official, not just me writing prose! Walk bare footed across the musical sands of the small white sand cove of Cala Violina and take a swim in its crystal clear waters.

It is just like a scene out of a James Bond film and a romantic spot in Maremma in which to watch the sunset over the Isola d'Elba.

Situated within the Bandite di Scarlino nature reserve, you will need to trek a short distance to reach it... Cala Violina

The only Etruscan city built by the sea

Also inhabited in neolithic times, Populonia, sat on cliffs at the highest point of the Monte Massoncello peninsular, is where the Etruscan civilisation decided to build its only city by the sea. And the city was an important and wealthy one...

Visit the Archaeological Park that takes you from Acropoli in Populonia to Necropoli in the Gulf of Baratti with Etruscan tombs, a monumental tumulus, shrine and sarcophagus, sites of metal-working, the ancient walls of Populonia, old quarries, burials dug into solid rock, the Benedictine monastery of San Quirico... and more, along trails with spectacular panoramic views of the Maremman coastline.

Take a look at the kite aerial photogragh taken by Opaxir at the top of this page for a spectacular view of Populonia today: a pretty little medieval village enclosed within a 15 century fortress. Visit Populonia

Tuscany's newest Aquarium: Mondo Marino

Places to visit in Italy: Aquarium Mondo Marino

See at first hand the marine environments of the Mediterranean and tropical seas without getting wet and watch sharks being fed ...albeit small ones! in this new aquarium.

Built for research and to promote an understanding of our marine world, it is the first in Tuscany and Italy in terms of its size and variety of species on display.

A great place for children - our youngster just loved it - especially on a wet and cold winters day. Aquarium Mondo Marino.

The Tarot Garden of Niki de Saint Phalle:
Il Giardino dei Tarocchi

Places to visit in Italy: Il Giardino dei Tarocchi

In a Tuscan estate at Garavicchio, near Capalbio in Maremma you will find a most unusual garden: the contemporary sculpture Tarot Garden - Il Giardino dei Tarocchi - built by French-American model, actress and artist Niki de Saint Phalle with the help of other artists and friends.

With twenty-two monumental sculptures representing the main tarot cards - the major arcana - built from welded steel bars, wire mesh, gunite cement, and maosaic ceramics and glass, Niki de saint Phalle's "garden of joy" is a truely unique experience.

Photo by kind permission of Carmine.

The "Vie Cave" at Pitigliano, Sovana and Sorano

Places to visit in Italy: Le Vie Cave

For a memorable experience filled with mystery, take a walk through one of the "Vie Cave" or "Cavoni" that radiate from the tufo city of Pitigliano and lead to nearby Sovana and Sorano.

Fifteen deep and in places dark passages - up to 25 metres in height, chiseled out of the tufo rock by the Etruscans that lived here. No other civilisation has ever made anything similar.

Some connect Pitigliano with the beautiful Necropolis and monumental tombs at Sovana, others have tombs and caves, but their purpose is still debated and a mystery... a defense system against invaders, a quarry system, or sunken passages symbolic of the journey to the after life? The Vie Cave.

The photograph is of Vie Cave Poggio Prisca at Sovana and is by kind permission of Alessandro Innocenti.

Places to Visit for Free

There are some wonderful places to visit in Tuscany and Lazio, and this page is your resource of all of those in Maremma that are always free.

It also includes regular updates of special offers or events during which entrance to museums, sculpture gardens or exhibitions etc for which there is normally charge, are free. Places to visit in Tuscany for free.

Maremma Museums

Coming soon... Museums in Italy - in Maremma

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