Tuscan Maremma: the wild nature of southern Tuscany

The Maremma is the Tuscany that does not resemble the postcards. There are no cypresses in rows on a hillside, no medieval towers, no neatly ordered vineyard with a villa in the background. Instead there is Mediterranean scrub, the scent of rosemary and myrtle, semi-wild horses, deserted beaches, the wild thermal springs of Saturnia.

It is the most authentic and least theatrical part of the region.

The Maremma has no cypresses in rows on a hillside. Instead it has Mediterranean scrub, semi-wild horses, deserted beaches, the wild thermal springs of Saturnia. It is the Tuscany you don’t expect - and the one you never forget.

The Maremma: the Tuscany you don’t expect

The Maremma occupies the southern tip of Tuscany, mainly in the provinces of Grosseto and Livorno. It was a swampy, malaria-ridden zone until the 19th century, when Medicean land reclamation and then post-war drainage transformed it into agricultural land.

The result is a landscape that bears the marks of this recent history: vast fields, straight roads, towns built from scratch in the 20th century. But also, surviving at the edges, the most intact nature in Tuscany: the Maremma Park, the butteri, the tufa-stone villages like Pitigliano, the thermal baths of Saturnia.

Those coming from the Val d’Elsa find a completely different territory: more open, flatter, with a horizon that extends to the sea.

The Maremma Park: wildlife, trails and beaches

The Maremma Regional Park stretches along the coast from Principina a Mare to Talamone, for about 25 km of coastline and 9,000 hectares of surface. It is one of the most interesting natural parks in Tuscany.

The park has two main characteristics:

Wildlife: wild boar, roe deer, fallow deer, grey herons, stilts, flamingoes in the Orbetello lagoon, ospreys. The density of fauna is exceptional for a lowland park.

Beaches: the park beaches are reachable only on foot, via the internal marked paths. There is no direct car access, which keeps them relatively unspoilt. Cala di Forno, Cala dell’Uomo Morto, the Spiaggia delle Cannelle - names that speak of isolation.

The park trails require an entrance ticket (about €10-12). Some routes require compulsory advance booking.

The butteri: the last tradition of the Tuscan herdsmen

The butteri are the Maremma herdsmen - the cowboys of the Maremma. They drove herds of Maremma cattle and horses across the countryside on horseback, using long canes (the “mazzarelle”) to guide the animals.

The tradition of the butteri dates back to the Middle Ages, when the noble families who owned the Maremma estates needed specialised workers to manage livestock on the vast plains.

Today the butteri still exist - they are not a historical re-enactment - on farms that breed the Maremma cattle breed and Maremma horses. You can see them on horseback on the dirt roads of the park, wearing their wide-brimmed hats and traditional costumes.

Buttero demonstrations, where they display their equestrian skills, take place periodically, especially in spring.

Pitigliano, Sorano and Sovana: the tufa villages

Tufa - grey, porous volcanic rock - characterises the villages of southern Maremma like no other material. The “tufa villages” - Pitigliano, Sorano, Sovana - are built literally on the rock, which in some cases is also carved to create houses, cellars and tombs.

Pitigliano: the most famous and dramatic. The village is built on a tufa spur that rises vertically from the plain; the medieval houses seem to grow from the rock itself. It also has a notable Jewish history: in the 16th-17th centuries it hosted a large Jewish community (called “Little Jerusalem”) that had fled Counter-Reformation persecutions.

Sorano: less known than Pitigliano, it has an Orsini fortress and a system of “vie cave” - paths carved into the tufa by Romans and Etruscans - that can be walked.

Sovana: tiny, with a few dozen inhabitants, it preserves a high-quality Romanesque cathedral and an Etruscan necropolis in the surrounding area.

Saturnia: the Maremma’s thermal baths

Saturnia has already been described in detail on this blog. The Gorello waterfalls, with thermal water at 37.5°C, are the main attraction. From Poggibonsi, about 110 km and nearly 2 hours by car.

How to get there from the Val d’Elsa: a day trip

The Maremma is not close to Poggibonsi - it is about 90-130 km depending on the specific destination. It is a day’s journey, not a half-hour excursion.

The advice is to dedicate at least a full day to the Maremma, combining:

• Morning: Maremma Park or tufa villages (Pitigliano)
• Lunch: Pitigliano or Saturnia
• Afternoon: Saturnia or a park beach

Those who want to explore more deeply should consider staying a night in the Maremma itself.