The word Maremma is today used to indicate a wide area of south Tuscany delimited by the cape of Piombino (southernmost part of the coast called the Etruscan Coast, that starts near Livorno) and the Colline Metallifere to the north, the cape of Argentario and the hills of Orbetello to the south, the mounts Amiata and Elmo to the east and the sea to the west. You can find there two completely different areas and two complementary worlds: coastal to the west, hilly and mountainous to the east.
It is a borderland, characterized by mines and breeding, fishermen, farmers, sheperds, butteri, woodmen and miners, that still keeps intact much of its ancient charm.
The major city of Maremma is Grosseto. Situated on the plain crossed by the Ombrone river, about 12km far from the sea, from Grosseto it is possible to trace a path that from the north goes down to Follonica, a coastal town of very ancient origin - dating back to medieval times - that stands on the Tuscan coast with its sandy beaches overlooking the Gulf, in front of the typical pinewood that covers much of the Tuscan coast. Castiglione della Pescaia is another coastal town, as well as famous equipped resort that every year welcomes especially during summertime a huge amount of Italian and foreign tourists. Not far from there, there are other centers more connected to the recent territorial transformation linked to tourism such as Marina di Grosseto and Punta Ala.
Located in the area that marks the large tract of land sloping down from the mounth of the Ombrone river to the lagoon of Orbetello, the Natural Park of Maremma is also worthy of mention. It houses the famous Parco dell'Uccellina, that takes this name by the Mounts of Uccellina dominating the central and southern part of the park where a woody and maquis vegetation covers the coastal mountains together with pinewoods giving rise to several ecosystems that enclose all the features of the Tyrrhenian belt.
Moving just a bit inward you can find Saturnia, one of the most famous and appreciated destinations in Italy for relax and wellness all year round. It is a renowned thermal resort where a spring of sulphurous water flows, used for bathing, cures, inhalations, muds and drinks.
Moreover, moving inward just a few km from Saturnia, it is possible to discover lots of small picturesque villages such as Sorano, Sovana and Pitigliano - this last fully erected on a huge boulder of tufa on which streets and buildings have been constructed. Places of enchanting beauty, well-known for the calm and peaceful atmosphere that you can breathe there, for friendliness of the people and for their wines and food tradition.