The Maremma

The Maremma stretches along Tuscany's coast from Cecina to Monte Argentario and extends inward along mostly flat land toward the mountainous interior. The Maremma was once the heartbeat of the Etruscan world and preserves scant remains of some of their most important cities and miles of the mysterious sunken roads they carved more than 4m (13 ft.) into the tufa. The complex canal and drainage system built by those ancient Tuscans allowed them to turn the marshy flatlands into a breadbasket.

The conquering Romans, though, weren't as able as landscape administrators, and when the neglected drainage system broke down, marshes and bogland swamped the region and brought with them the malaria mosquito. Grand Duke Leopold I was the first to seriously attempt a large-scale reclamation of the land in 1828, and his canals still form an important part of the drainage network, but it wasn't until malaria was defeated here in the 1950s that the land became livable again.

Today, the Maremma puts forth a mixed image. It's part rugged new colony, where man has reconquered the land and cowboys called butteri watch over herds of white oxen. It's also part relic of the ancient past, where centuries of relative isolation have allowed Etruscan ruins and towns to decay romantically. You'll encounter very few other tourists as you explore archaic hill towns and grassy, mounded Etruscan tombs.

Getting Around

By Train -- The slowest trains on the main Rome-Pisa line stop at Follonica, Grosseto, Albarese, and Ortobello (for Monte Argentario). The faster ones pause at Grosseto and Ortobello, but IC trains take the time to hit only Grosseto. There's also a train from Florence that passes through Siena on its way to Grosseto and Ortobello.

By Bus -- Maremma's RAMA bus network (tel. 0564/454-169) runs from Grosseto to Florence, Siena, Marina di Grosseto, Castiglione, Alberese, Follonica, Scansano, and Massa Marittima. It also services Ortobello to Monte Argentario's main towns.

Grosseto

The Maremma's capital isn't a promising introduction to the region. Grosseto certainly doesn't invite lingering, but the region's website, www.gol.grosseto.it, offers a few options for visitors. The tourist office is at Via Monterosa 206 (tel. 0564/462-611; fax 0564/454-606; www.grosseto.turismo.toscana.it; Mon-Fri 8:30am-1:30pm and 3-6pm, Sat 8:30am-12:30pm). Grosseto's a fairly scuzzy burg, with the highest drug-use rate per capita in Italy. I suggest taking a quick gander at its few worthwhile sights in the Old Town and moving on. The main sight is the Museo Civico Archeologico e d'Arte della Maremma, Piazza Baccarini 3 (tel. 0564-488-752; Tues-Sun: May-Oct 10am-1pm and 5-8pm; Nov-Feb 9am-1pm, plus 4:30-7pm Sat and Sun; Mar-Apr 9:30am-1pm and 4:30-7pm). The Maremma is particularly rich in prehistoric, Etruscan, and Roman remains, and this museum's archaeological collections bring together almost all the major finds from across the province. Upstairs is a small painting collection from local churches. The collection's prima donna is a 13th-century Last Judgment by Guido da Siena. Admission is 5€ ($6.50).

Mostly, though, the area around Grosseto is known for its cowboy country, its beaches, and the thermal springs of Saturnia. The springs are popular among not only Romans; throngs of Germans and Dutch also come here in the summer in their camper vans and take in the volcanic water. The stream runs right through town and then cascades through a series of semicircular, white pools made of calcium deposits. Admission is free, and in the summer there are groups of vendors selling towels, bathing suits, and the like.

Hitting the Beach

Along the southern stretch of Tuscany's coast are several beaches and resorts. Follónica represents the huge down-market brand of beach with lots of city folk who've dashed to the shore for the day. There is plenty of sand, but little of it is special. From here you can turn 19km (12 miles) inland to Massa Marittima. Punta Ala is a posh spot, with luxury hotels and a well-heeled vacationing crowd sunning on the modern bay side. Castiglione della Pescaia is more middle-of-the-road and perhaps the best all-around. The beach is passable, the prices are lower, and it has only a touch of the resort air about it, relying on an old fishing-village atmosphere and the ancient Old Town up on the hill as attractions. Marina di Grosseto is a bland town, but the beach is clean.

Tuscany's most southerly point is along the coast at the resort peninsula of Monte Argentario. The city of Ortobello, sitting in the middle of a lagoon between Monte Argentario and the mainland, serves as the gateway to L'Argentario. The lagoon surrounding Ortobello is partly protected by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as a natural oasis called the Laguna di Ortobello (tel. 0564-820-297), which, together with the WWF nature reserve Lago di Burano (tel. 0564-898-829), a bit farther down the main coast, comprises Italy's most important birding center, where an estimated 200 of the 450 species that call the country home live or pass through every year. Both are open September through April by guided visit only: Ortobello, Thursday through Sunday at 10am and 2pm; Burano, Sunday between 10am and 3pm.

Horseback Riding and Hiking

Just 15km (9 miles) southwest of Grosseto, a 15km (9-mile) stretch of hilly coastline is protected as the Parco Naturale della Maremma (www.parco-maremma.it or www.parks.it/parco.maremma). It's called "one of the last earthly paradises in Italy" and incorporates the Monti dell'Uccellina, capped by crumbling medieval towers. The "Mountains of the Little Bird" are actually hills some 390m (1,279 ft.) high, covered with the almost unbroken carpet of an umbrella pine forest, though you'll also find ilex, oak, elms, juniper, and the occasional dwarf palm, Italy's only native-growing palm tree. Rustling around in the myrtle and juniper macchia brush are families of Italy's small native wild boar, herds of roe deer, foxes, crested porcupines, and the occasional feral cat. Larger critters include a famous pack of semiwild horses and long-horned white cattle, both of which are wrangled by the Maremma's famous but dwindling breed of cowboy, the butteri. Seaside, there are wondrous stretches of sand-dune beaches in the center, rising to a rocky cliff toward the south and petering into marshy bog land to the north. The latter is the park's best bird-watching area, where you might even spot flamingos, peregrine falcons, and osprey among the scores of migratory and water birds that spend time here.

The park entrance is at Alberese (tel. 0564-407-098), site of the annual August butteri rodeo. An hourly bus takes you from Alberese into the closed-to-traffic park and drops you off at the trail heads. The park office's map is pretty bad; buy an Instituto Geografico Militare 1:25,000 map or something similar in town. The path marked STRADA DEGLI OLIVI leads straight to the beach. Trail 1 is 6km (3.75 miles) in its entirety and involves the most rugged, but most rewarding, climbing; it leads past the evocative ruins of the 11th-century San Rabano abbey. Trail 2 runs for 5km (3 miles) past abandoned medieval watchtowers toward the rocky southern coast with the best vistas of the pine forests along the way. Trail 3 follows 8km (5 miles) of sandy pine woods and visits caves once inhabited by prehistoric man. Trail 4 is 11km (7 miles) and takes you along cliffs, down on the coast, and up hills. They also offer guided visits by foot, canoe, or horseback, as well as (pricey) nighttime excursions. The park is open Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from 7am (9am Oct-June 14) to dusk. Admission ranges from 6€ to 8€ ($7.80-$10).

A number of farm bed-and-breakfasts in the area offer horseback rides through the park. One of them is the Agriturismo il Melograno di Banditella Albarese (tel. 339-875-6919; www.agriturismoilmelograno.eu), which offers a 4-day package deal including room, half-board, and cowboy-guided tours on horseback starting at 220€ ($286) per person.