Grosseto

The green heart of the Maremma

Grosseto is one of the few Tuscan cities with its medieval defensive walls intact. From above, the Medici Walls form an irregular hexagon, with six arrow-shaped corner bastions, running along a 3-kilometre-long perimeter. Don’t miss the Passeggiata Verde (Green Walk), in the shade of the vegetation planted along and on the Walls.

Beyond the beautiful historic centre of the capital, the Province of Grosseto is full of surprises. Firstly, it is home to one of Italy’s most beautiful natural parks: the Maremma Regional Park, a habitat for countless species of birds and mammals, bathed by the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the east. There are also plenty of places of cultural interest, including the Vie Cave Etrusche: Etruscan-built roadways that wind their way through the rock, which you can visit in the area that covers the municipalities of Sorano, Sovana and Pitigliano.

The local cuisine upholds Tuscan tradition, with cured meats, full-bodied red wines and egg pasta. A speciality, typical of the lower Maremma, worth trying is bottarga di Orbetello, produced only in the lagoon area and obtained exclusively by drying the ovarian sacs of the mullet.