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Places to Visit in Italy
in Maremma in Tuscany and Lazio
This is my personal collection of places to visit in Italy - in undiscovered and stunningly beautiful Maremma in Tuscany and Lazio.
It is a collection of my favourite places in Maremma - many of which do not feature in guide books for the area - together with some more traditional choices such as Maremma's many museums filled with Etruscan treasures and medieval art. Each will give you a different experience and leave you with a deepening sense of life past and present in this special land.
The most beautiful beach in Italy
... and that official, not just be 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
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Tuscany's newest Aquarium: Mondo Marino
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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.
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The Tarot Garden of Niki de Saint Phalle:
Il Giardino dei Tarocchi
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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
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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.
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Maremma Museums
Coming soon... Museums in Italy - in Maremma |
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