The best traffic-free bike rides around Massa Marittima

The Archaeological Museum is housed in the ancient Palazzo del Podestà (1225), which overlooks the Piazza del Duomo of Massa Marittima. The collection is organized into sections, ordered chronologically from the lower paleolithic to the etruscan age; the main piece of the prehistoric collection is the eneolithic statue-stele of Vado all’Arancio, the only find of its type in Maremma; the etruscan finds come mainly from excavations carried out at the village of Lago dell’Accesa, they are mainly kitchenware, loom weights, fishing weights and bricks; also present are the funerary trousseaux found in the necropolises, especially pottery (figulina clay and bucchero), bronze fibulae, iron pot stands, iron and bronze weapons. On the ground floor, an educational section is set up with a life-size reconstruction of typical caves: a paleolithic and an eneolithic one. Guided tours and educational activities, organization of cultural events and film screenings are available.

About 10 km from Massa Marittima, we find Lago dell’Accesa, of great naturalistic-environmental and historical-archaeological interest, so much so that its suggestive atmosphere has given rise to numerous legends. Of karstic origin, the lake is about 38 meters deep and feeds the Bruna river, which is its only estuary. In addition to being suitable for swimming, it can also offer refreshment in the summer months thanks to the typical vegetation that surrounds it, consisting of reeds, rushes, poplars and eucalyptus trees, as well as the typical Mediterranean scrub, and it is easily suited for pleasant walks along the shores and in the surroundings. The crystal-clear waters are populated by a varied fish fauna, including trout, pike, carp, and perch, and there is no shortage of an equally rich population of aquatic birds. The Accesa area is also extremely relevant from an archaeological point of view. Near the lake, in the Macchia del Monte area, numerous excavations were carried out as early as the 1930s, then resumed in the 1980s, which brought to light numerous remains of four Etruscan villages dating from the 9th to the 6th century BC. The buildings of the various settlements, of which only the foundations are visible, are gathered in scattered groups within a rather large area. Given the location, it is hypothesized that these villages were linked to mining, especially copper from the mines of Fenice Capanne and Serrabottini. It is also thought that these mining villages were extraction outposts that were subordinate to the large center of Vetulonia, to which they supplied raw materials. In addition to the complexes intended for housing and extractive activities, many tombs of various typologies (well, pit, circle, and chamber tombs) have also been found.

The massive Torre del Candeliere (or clock tower) is 24m high and was built to assert its authority in 1228, a few years after Massa Marittima gained independence as a Free Commune. The building's peculiar name derives from the custom of always keeping a fire lit on its summit, making it resemble a huge candle. In 1413, a bell was placed for the first time, later replaced in 1760 by the current one, weighing about 140kg. The first clock was instead placed on the facade in 1443. The Torre del Candeliere is the quintessential panoramic viewpoint of the town. It is therefore visitable, and through its Sienese Arch, it is possible to access the Fortress, the only stretch of walls still walkable today. The Arch and the Fortress were built after the Tower: with the conquest of Massa by Siena in 1335, the Tower was partially demolished, and then rebuilt about a third lower than the original.

Massa Marittima stands proudly enclosed within a well-preserved city wall. It is a town that has received the Orange Flag from the Touring Club and is rich in medieval artistic testimonies, even though its origins are probably Etruscan. The small streets that cross the hill lead to a magical place where the harmony of the lines amazes, surprises, and invites contemplation. The history of Massa Marittima is closely linked to the silver, copper, and pyrite mines of the Colline Metallifere, exploited since the early metal ages and then especially in the Etruscan and medieval periods.

Massa Marittima is a fortified medieval village located on a hill, known for its beauty and wealth of artistic and architectural heritage. Key attractions include the magnificent Piazza Garibaldi, with the Cathedral of San Cerbone, the Palazzo del Podestà, and the Palazzo Comunale. Other points of interest include the Fonti dell'Abbondanza with its famous fresco of the Tree of Fertility and, in the upper town, the Torre del Candeliere and the Cassero Senese within the medieval walls.

The Torre del Candeliere is a museum monument that is an integral part of the Massa Marittima Museum System. The tower was erected in 1228 to both monitor the area (as a watchtower) and assert the authority of the Municipality of Massa Marittima, which had recently freed itself from the rule of the Prince-Bishop. The tower was originally a third taller than its current counterpart, the result of Siena's reconstruction following the war that brought it victory over Massa. Another Sienese initiative was the construction of the majestic arch connecting it to the Cassero, built in the center of the city to monitor the still-rebellious Massa Marittima residents, ready to rise up.

The village is located south of Massa Marittima, along the road leading to Lago dell'Accesa. A typical mining village, it developed in the first half of the 19th century in connection with the exploitation of mineral resources. The urban layout of the settlement is therefore typical of mining villages, with the mine manager's villa in a dominant position, the workers' homes, the shop, the infirmary, the church, the school, and the cinema theater. Near the village, the visible remains of the structures used for mining activities are present, which retain considerable value from the perspective of industrial archaeology.

"completed in 1265 (eighth indiction), while the knight Ildibrandino da Pisa, after having held numerous offices, was Podestà of this territory." These are the words in Latin that can be read in the marble epigraph on the façade of the Fountain of Abundance. The building consists of three pointed arches preceding three basins, once containing water. The structure had two main functions: it was used as the town's main water supply and, on the upper floor (built in the 15th century), it was used as a warehouse for storing grain. But the characteristic that makes