The best cycling routes around Monteverdi Marittimo

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.

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.

Massa Marittima is a municipality located in the southern area of the Colline Metallifere, an area that has been inhabited since prehistoric times, as documented by numerous archaeological finds. The settlement is thought to be of Etruscan origin, but the city's most important period began in the 9th century, when it became a bishop's seat. From then until the 14th century, the city reached its peak splendor, thanks in part to the area's abundant mineral resources.

In 1335, Massa Marittima lost its political autonomy, having to yield to the conquest of Siena, which had long been attempting to seize control of the Massa Marittima mines. A period of economic and demographic decline followed, further exacerbated by the plague of 1348. Despite the serious problems, however, mining activity was never completely abandoned, although it was certainly significantly reduced. The Medici family, who incorporated the province of Siena into the Grand Duchy in 1557, attempted some interventions to promote the area's recovery, while a significant revival occurred in 1737 with the arrival of the House of Lorraine as successors to the extinct Medici family.

At the end turn left onto the cycle path until the railway underpass

A view that is worth the climb to get there...

The ancient village was born as Castagneto Marittimo and in 1907 changed its name to Castagneto Carducci, in honor of the famous poet Giosuè Carducci, who spent his childhood in this land.