This is tuscany’s undiscovered corner , a largely flat area with some low hills capped by crumbling ancient hill towns such as Pitigliano and Sorano. Its overgrown valleys hide Etruscan tombs, altars and sunken roads (see Sovana). This was the heart of Etruria, home to important Etruscan cities and a fertile bread-basket. But the conquering Romans were not so adept at maintaining large-scale drainage and irrigation systems, and this agricultural paradise quickly reverted to malaria-breeding swamp. The population dwindled, the ancient cities crumbled and most Tuscan powers left the Maremma alone. It wasn’t until 1828 that Grand Duke Leopold I started draining the land again. Today it is Tuscany’s least disturbed repository of Etruscan heritage, while also offering beaches, Tuscany’s best natural park and the Tyrrhenian islands.
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A lovely fishing village with a beautiful view from the fortified hill towering over the harbour. If you are down early in the morning you can see the fresh fish being landed. There is a gorgeous beach running north to the luxury marina at Punta Ala.
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Svjetlan Junakovi? - Ritratti famosi di comuni animaliSiena's SMS Children's Art Museum, housed at Santa Maria della Scala, hosts a new temporary exhibition on Svjetlan Junakovi?'s work, taken from his book Ritratti famosi di comuni animali... Read more
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Worldwide Florentine CarnivalThe annual Worldwide Florentine Carnival is an opportunity for pre-Lenten parties with the people of some of Tuscany's most beautiful towns. Head to Florence itself or visit the nearby villages to... Read more
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Women in Power - Caterina and Maria de' MediciHeld at Florence's Palazzo Strozzi, Women in Power - Caterina and Maria de' Medici is an art exhibition revealing how the two queens used powerful images to legitimise their claims to rule over... Read more
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Christmas in FlorenceChristmas in Florence is an impressively wide-ranging series of events, markets, live Nativity scenes, gospel choirs and exhibitions. The initiative shows off 360 degrees of Florence and visitors... Read more
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