Castiglione della Pescaia is an ancient village on the sea, between Punta Ala and Grosseto Marina. The ancient part is like a balcony on the Tyrrhenian. It is the home of a tourist port that offers daily trips to the islands of the Tuscan archipelago. Castiglione della Pescaia boasts ancient origins: the first traces of inhabitants in this area go back about sixty thousand years. While the first settlement was at Vetulonia, the very old town that the Etruscans built on the shores of lake Prile (which no longer exists). The Romans were based, however, in the village of Salebrone. This was well-known for its moderate climate, lake Pescoso and its surroundings rich in game. After the fall of the Roman empire and the Barbarian raids, in 962 Castiglione succumbed to Pisa, which was ruled by Otto 1st of Saxony, emperor of Germany. Pisa exploited its riches and didn’t take care of the port shelving or the waters of the lake Prile, which were stagnating & were the cause of increasing malaria epidemics.

This waterfall is very famous in Tuscany because is an open-air free hot spring. The waters of Saturnia Therme are sulphureous-carbonic-sulphate-bicarbonate-alkaline. The smell is quite strong because of the sulphurous. Bathing in these kind of water is indicated in the treatments of: digestive system diseases, female genital organs and female urinary tracts, nose and throat diseases, dental diseases and respiratory deseases. It’s eve used for arthrosis, rheumatism, osteoarticular diseases, vascular diseases and all kind of skin diseases.

Monte Argentario was probably an island in origin, that was connected afterward to the Tyrrhenian coast by the thin Feniglia and Giannella’s tombolos, two narrow strips of sand formed by debris from the sea, accumulated by the currents. The promontory, completely mountuous ( 635 metres high ), is characterized by high and rocky coastlines, where one can admire the famous dwarf palm which grows spontaneously, and is also covered in Mediterranean woods, olives trees, vineyards, and orchards. In the vineyards, plantedon terraces escavated in the side of the mountain , the rare Ansonico and Riminese grapes are cultivated. The promontory economy, once based on the fishing, is today stricktly connected with the tourism

The town of Orbetello is on a small peninsula surrounded by lagoons of Levante and western; it’s divided by an artificial dam that, from 1841, combines it with the promontory of Monte Argentario. The lagoons are closed by two portion of land named ‘tomboli’ of Feniglia and Giannella, which offer to visitors several kilometres of beautiful beaches. In the area of the Tombolo of Giannella there are a great variety of migratory birds. Here stop the pink flamingo, a creature of rare beauty that helps to make particular the already beautiful landscape. Right in the middle of the Tombolo, WWF, in a farmhouse Spanish’600 manages a centre for environmental education. The Feniglia is the undisputed reign of the most varied shades of green and pleasant perfume of their maquis made more intense by the presence of lush pine forest that pours its shadow restaurateur inside. Here live in complete freedom, as protected species of animals. It is not uncommon along the “white” road bump into groups of deer that eat quietly. A beach of golden sand lapped by clear water complete the scenario of this strip of paradise.

Covering the main road that join Castiglione della Pescaia to Follonica, arriving in a resort called Pian d’Alma, we have to turn left. Punta Ala doesn’t need any introductions, it’s one of the most exclusive resort of the Tyrrhenian coast; it was the operations’ place of Luna Rossa crew. Punta Ala is one of the most successful tourist settlement from the post-war period: it lies quiet in the middle of a pinewood, it offers to its visitors the cleanliness of its paths, its lawns and painstaking flowerbeds, the elegance of its well-kept gardens. Very important is its port (for the exclusive use of 900 berths) that offers the opportunity to rent boats, motorboats, yachts. Remarkable the golf course, one of the biggest in Europe, where take place important contests.

Cala Violina is a charming part of Maremma Grossetana. It’s located in the heart of the Natural Reserve of Bandite di Scarlino, within the protected Area of Local Interest of The Costiere di Scarlino

The most beautiful path of the area is undoubtedly the Costiere, which access is allowed only by foot, horseback or bicycle, it reaches rocked coves of unquestionable beauty, like that Cala Francesce, Cala Martina and Cala Violina.