The municipality of Grosseto’s Alta Maremma is a true treasure chest of art and history, inhabited by the Etruscans and the Romans who already exploited the rich silver, copper and iron mines. Precisely for the mineral richness of the area, Massa Marittima, also called «Massa Metallorum», was always object of contestation and dominion through the centuries.

This is why we can encounter the remains of an Etruscan village. Around the Lago dell'Accesa rises the archaeological park made up of the necropolis and some dwellings, the items found there kept in Palazzo Pretorio of Massa Marittima where the archaeological museum has its main seat.

Going along the ups and downs of the little roads, alleys and passageways that criss-cross in the town of Massa Marittima, in the part looking towards the valley we find historical buildings making up the centre. From central piazza Garibaldi we come across the imposing Basilica di San Cerbone where the Romanic Pisan style is followed by a later extension of the structure by Giovanni Pisano onto the evident traces of gothic, particularly for the facade.

Still in the square, next to the Duomo, there is the town hall palace inside which, on a plaque, the passage of Garibaldi before his setting out from Cala Martina in 1861 is recorded.

Going back up the hill on which the town extends, through the gate and potent walls of the Fortezza Senese, we find the Torre del Candeliere, which can be visited (summer time: 11 am-1 pm and 3,30 –7 pm; winter: 11 am-1 pm and 2,30-4,30 pm). From the top of the tower there is a fantastic view (in the picture) over the whole of Massa Marittima and the valley extending below on to the sea.

August.2002

Municipality of Massa Marittima (Italian)
APT Grosseto (Italian)