A small village founded in the 13th century to guard the Ombrone valley at the confluence with the Lanzo stream, by decree of the municipality of Siena. In 1278, Siena surrounded it with walls, exempted it from taxes for ten years, and forced local nobles to give up surrounding lands to attract new residents. The village still preserves its palaces, church, keep, and walls as evidence of its Sienese past. In the Church of San Michele, you’ll find frescoes by the Sienese school painter Bigio di Goro Ghezzi and a famous 15th-century crucifix, once the subject of disputes between the rival villages of Paganico and Civitella. Locals, once nicknamed “Granocchiai” (Frog-Eaters), have kept the tradition alive with the annual Frog Festival and Palio, held every September.

The name Civitella comes from the Latin expression parva civitas (small city or citadel), while the adjective “Marittima” was added later. This area, rich in minerals and forests and surrounded by the Ombrone River —a waterway of great importance due to its access to the Tyrrhenian Sea— was originally an Etruscan and then Roman settlement. It later fell prey to barbarian, Lombard, and Frankish invasions.

Civitella was one of the oldest fiefdoms of the Ardengheschi family of Siena, prominent figures in Tuscany at the start of the year 1000. It appears in historical records around the 11th century, the period when the county was founded and the castle built, along with a fortified village surrounded by oval-shaped walls.

A beautiful village perched on a hilltop offering breathtaking sunsets. Archaeological findings show the presence of a settlement from the Upper Paleolithic period, followed by Etruscan and Roman habitation. The current center of the village has medieval origins and was an important possession of the noble Ardengheschi family, who built the defensive walls around the mid-12th century. It later came under Siena’s control in the 13th century and became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in the 16th century.

Originally a minor Etruscan fortress and later a Roman settlement, Montalcino rose to importance in the Middle Ages thanks to its proximity to the Via Francigena, becoming a pilgrimage destination. Between the 8th and 10th centuries, the first castles and abbeys were built or restored, including the famous Abbey of Sant’Antimo.

In the 12th century, Montalcino became the center of significant military conflicts, which ended in the 1500s when the city handed over its keys to the Medici family of Florence.

For many centuries, Montalcino maintained its rural character. After World War II, it suffered depopulation and underinvestment. It wasn’t until the 1970s that it began its revival, thanks to the arrival of the Mariani family (Banfi), who invested heavily in the area, recognizing the potential of Brunello wine in this unique microclimate —ideal for growing top-quality grapes.

Siena is one of the most beautiful cities in Tuscany and Italy. Its rich history is evident in every building, street, and noble tradition.

Originally an Etruscan necropolis, later a Roman colony, Siena saw the arrival of Christianity around the 3rd century. Following barbarian invasions, it experienced population growth and gained administrative and political importance under the Lombards. During the Holy Roman Empire, Siena gained strong economic power through commerce. Its wealth was also due to the Via Francigena, which brought pilgrims and travelers toward the Holy City. During this time, lay brotherhoods were established to assist those passing through Siena —these groups were the seeds of today’s famous city Contrade.

Siena alternated between periods of peace and prosperity —thanks also to its strong merchant presence — and times of factional conflict, famine, and plague. In the 1500s, Siena fell under the Medici control and slowly revived through its arts, the founding of Monte dei Paschi, and the economic and agricultural reforms introduced by the Lorena dynasty.

With its peak reaching 1,738 meters, Monte Amiata is the highest mountain in the Maremma region. It is known for its rich biodiversity, lush forests, and wide range of outdoor activities: hiking trails, a ski resort in winter, and a bike park in summer.

Monte Amiata has a fascinating geological history. It is an extinct volcano, with its last known eruptions dating back 200,000–300,000 years. Despite being considered extinct, the volcano still exhibits underground activity, such as the thermal springs found throughout southern Tuscany: Saturnia, Bagni San Filippo, Bagno Vignoni, Petriolo, and more.

The first to recognize the qualities of the hot, cold, warm, and boiling waters —generously provided by the ancient volcano — were the Etruscans. Today, the entire area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Petriolo thermal baths are located along the Farma River, on the border between the municipalities of Monticiano and Civitella Paganico.

Already known in Roman times —mentioned by Cicero and Martial— Etruscan and Roman artifacts have been found here. The current name dates back to the 13th century, with official records beginning in 1130.

In the Renaissance, specifically in the early 15th century, the first stone thermal complex was built on the northern bank of the Farma River. In 1404, a wall was erected around the baths, creating the “Thermal Castle of Petriolo,” designed both to protect the springs and to allow the Republic of Siena to charge an entrance fee to visitors.

Today, many parts of the 15th-century walls and three watchtowers (West, Southwest, and Southeast), the Tower of the Sienese Republic (North), the “Siena Gate,” and the ancient inn just outside the walls are still visible.

An ancient city of the Etruscan Dodecapolis in central Etruria, Roselle was founded at a strategic point between the Ombrone Valley and the Maremma plain, on the shore of the ancient Lake Prile.

It preserves layers of buildings and walls from the Villanovan-Etruscan, Etruscan, and Roman periods. The discovery of Attic red-figure vases attests to the city’s commercial ties with Greece and Greek colonies in southern Italy.

In the 6th century, Roselle declined, like much of the Maremma, due to malaria. It was abandoned until the late 1700s, when the area was reclaimed under the rule of Pietro Leopoldo I.

Starting in the 1950s, extensive archaeological excavations by the Tuscan Archaeological Superintendency brought the ancient ruins back to light.

A seaside town of Etruscan origin perched on a hill near the sea, with a castle and a medieval village surrounded by walls and towers at its summit.

In ancient times, much of the plain east of the town was submerged under Lake Prile, which gradually dried out over the centuries. The most significant Etruscan remains come from nearby Vetulonia, a major city of the Etruscan Dodecapolis. After the Etruscans came the Romans with their aqueducts, viaducts, and paved roads. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, the area suffered frequent invasions and environmental decline, with a sharp drop in population.

In the 10th century, Castiglione came under Pisa’s protection, and three towers and the surrounding walls were built. In 1404, under the Medici control, major reclamation projects were launched, completed in the 1800s by Pietro Leopoldo II.

Today, what remains of that once unhealthy area is the Diaccia Botrona nature reserve, recognized internationally for its rare ecosystem. Castiglione della Pescaia is now a renowned, well-equipped seaside resort visited by international tourists.

The Maremma Regional Park, founded in 1975, covers 9,800 hectares from Principina a Mare to Talamone. It includes the Uccellina Mountains, marshlands near the Ombrone River mouth, Maremman plains, and the Uccellina dunes.

The first evidence of human presence dates back to the Middle Paleolithic, around 50,000 years ago. Key sites include the Fabbrica Cave, Golino Cave, and Scoglietto Cave.

Although no Etruscan artifacts have been found in the park, there are many Roman remains, including villas and workshops for trade goods, thanks to the proximity of the Via Aurelia and the Ombrone River.

The towers were built in the 16th century by the Medici as part of a defensive system against frequent raids by Ottoman Moors.

Today, the park offers educational tours, hikes, horseback riding, cycling, canoeing, and carriage rides among holm oaks, broom, laurel, cork oaks, and pines, with sightings of wild boar, Maremman cattle, ospreys, foxes, fallow deer, and roe deer.

Orbetello sits in the middle of its namesake lagoon and is connected to Monte Argentario by a road built on an artificial embankment that divides the lagoon into two bodies of water. The lagoon is bordered by two strips of land, the Feniglia and Giannella Tombolos, featuring long sandy beaches, pine forests, and Mediterranean scrub.

Orbetello was founded by the Etruscans in the 7th century BC. Fortresses and watchtowers tell the story of Sienese and Spanish rule over this promontory that juts into the sea. The lively town of Porto Santo Stefano boasts the Spanish Fortress and ferry access to Giglio and Giannutri Islands.

The small fishing village of Porto Ercole is home to a picturesque port, Forte Filippo, Forte Stella, and the Aldobrandesca Fortress.

Monte Argentario offers not only stunning coves and deep blue sea but also an interior full of trails through Mediterranean scrub, ending in steep stairways that lead to spectacular beaches —like Cala dei Gessi, one of the most beautiful in Tuscany. Some trails reach scenic viewpoints such as Capo d’Uomo, with breathtaking views of Giglio Island and the Tuscan Archipelago. There are also protected natural areas such as the WWF Oasis of the Orbetello Lagoon and the Duna Feniglia Nature Reserve.