The best MTB trails around Riserva Naturale La Pietra

The medieval village of Prata (part of Massa Marittima) is located at an altitude of 620 meters. From its dominant position on the Colline Metallifere, it offers a 360-degree panorama ranging from the summit of Monte Amiata to the Gulf of Follonica, even offering views of the Island of Elba and, on the clearest days, Corsica.

Tatti is an ancient and evocative Italian medieval village, part of the municipality of Massa Marittima, located in the province of Grosseto in Tuscany. Perched at about 412 meters above sea level on the Colline Metallifere, it overlooks the Tuscan Maremma and has a small community of about 200 inhabitants.

Piazza Garibaldi is the monumental heart of Massa Marittima, unanimously considered one of the most beautiful and characteristic medieval squares in all of Tuscany. This urban space stands out for its unusual asymmetrical star (or triangular) shape and for the travertine paving that lights up with warm golden hues at sunset.

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 offers breathtaking panoramas, often you can enjoy a spectacular view that stretches over the characteristic stone houses of the historic center, the metalliferous hills, up to the Gulf of Follonica and the sea. It is one of the most evocative views of the Tuscan Maremma.

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.

The perimeter walls are still partially visible, especially in the southern section, where an arched gate surmounted by three rounded stones stands. At the highest point of the hill stands the imposing stone keep, which extends around a courtyard. Within the walls is the church of Santa Maria Assunta, dating back to the 13th century but completely renovated in the late 19th century. It has a distinctive urban layout, dominated by an imposing stone keep arranged around a courtyard accessed through two round-arched gates, defended by a large tower with a massive base.

We are in one of the most beautiful squares in Tuscany! This stunning and unusual star-shaped medieval square is Piazza Garibaldi, a sort of open-air theater bordered by the city's most important historic buildings: the majestic Cathedral of San Cerbone, the Palazzo del Podestà, home to the Archaeological Museum, the Palazzina dei Conti di Biserno, the Palazzo dei Priori, now the town hall, Palazzo Malfatti with its loggia, and the more secluded Palazzo delle Fonti dell'Abbondanza.