|  There
is a land in Tuscany where in all seasons it is easy to
make a choice. It is called the Coast of the Etruscans.
Here time is for holiday all year round because
the sea and nature, art and history blend uniquely in a harmonious
whole.
On the western coast of the boot-shaped Italy
there lies a stretch of land in the heart of Tuscany that
is called "The Coast of the Etruscans" which is
home to some of the most naturally beautiful beaches and
luscious green pine woods. Named for its inhabitants that
date back before the birth of Christ, The Coast of the Etruscans
is located in the Province of Livorno and extends over 80
kilometers of sandy beaches, sand dunes, rocks and cliffs
beginning from the capital city of Livorno and finishing
at the city of Piombino, the southernmost city in the Province.
The entire area is particularly rich in flora, fauna and
areas of archeological interest.
The Tuscan Archipelago Islands
of Elba and Capraia are found in the northern Mediterranean
Sea called "Mar Tirreno" just west of The Coast
of the Etruscans and on clear days can both be seen from nearly
any position along the coast. Elba’s claim to fame
is that Napoleone Bonaparte was exiled there in 1814 after
Paris was invaded by the Russians, Austrians and Prussians.
Most Italians, however, know Elba as simply one of the best
places to go on holiday and in August every year the island
is just packed with vacationers.
 Thanks
to its mild climate and its strategical geographical position
the Etruscan coast is the ideal place for your holiday.
The wind which in this area blows above all in the morning,
is one of the most important elements: it influences the
vegetation and the morphology of the coast.
There are many different types of winds:
from October to February we have got the Western wind which
blows above all in the afternoon, while the ?Libeccio? with
its destructive influence on the coast is the prevailing
south-west wind. Sometimes it has been very dangerous for
the inhabitants of the area: some years ago it destroyed
several seaside resorts and little boats present in the
beautiful ports of the Etruscan coast.
From Rosignano on the prevailing winds are: the mistral,
a north-west wind and the ?Libeccio?.
Another important weather-element is the rain concentrated
above all in October, November and March.
 First
of all the sea: crystal clear lined by endless
beaches and cliffs caressed by the salty sea wind. The coastline
is scattered with renowned tourist resorts that have been
awarded the Blue Flag by the European Union for their unpolluted
sea water. They provide the visitor with warm hospitality
and high quality service.
Descending through the wooded rocks of the great cliffs
towards the adventurous colours and historical scents of
the Etruscan sea, stop and listen: you will hear the siren
song.
The Etruscans are waiting for us:
from Castiglioncello to Populonia is a fascinating journey
amongst the remains of their civilization.
The Gulf of Baratti was where the Etruscans
bartered iron with the textiles brought by the foreign merchants.
Baratti is a wonderful natural port, which
joins the beauty of its natural landscapes to the magic
atmosphere of the ancient Etruscan necropolis. Here, among
tombs of any kind, it is possible to make an imaginary voyage
towards a mysterious and charming world.
Only a few minutes away from the beach you will find a triumph
of cypress trees, pine forests, hills, vinyards, animal
sanctuaries and parks. Here poetry and ecology go hand in
hand, the famous poet Giosuè Carducci
grew up here.
The environment is incredibly rich in parks,
sanctuaries, botanical oases, fauna shelters preserving
rare animal species, thick vegetation consisting of long,
shady pine forests and woods covering the hillsides.
 Taste
the food: The menu reads - fresh sea every day
- fish soup, Cacciucco, nowhere in the Mediterranean there
is a more seafaring cuisine. But the green Etruscan countrysyde
offers us the produces of the earth, agritourism, gastronomy.
And invites us to taste its delicious wines.
The following sanctuaries "Oasi di Bolgheri",
"Parco della Magona", "Parco di Rimigliano
e della Sterpaia" are only some of the many treasures
making up the natural heritage of the Coast of the Etruscans.
The countryside is crossed by the Wine
Road which gives birth to unique world-renowned products
such as the local wine "Sassicaia". Unwinding
between the sea and nature there is another fascinating
route along the Coast of the Etruscans that preserves historical,
cultural and artistic treasures like the Etruscan Necropolis
of Baratti (the only one to be constructed by the seaside),
the Mineral Park of S. Silvestro, the ancient villages of
Suvereto, Campiglia, Populonia, Castagneto Carducci, Bolgheri;
pure precious gems dating from the Middle Ages.
 Populonia
an ancient Etruscan town, specialized in the smelting of
iron. Populonia is situated on the summit
of a hill and it is sorrounded by the sea. It still shows
the old Medieval walls, which had to preserve the town from
pirates' attacks, and the so-called Rocca, built by Jacopo
II Appiani in the second half of the XVth century. Inside
the walls you can admire a small fourteenth-century village
with its two main lanes (San Giovanni di sopra and San Giovanni
di sotto) and its museum, rich of Etruscan and Roman archaeological
remains.
This itinerary leads to Livorno,
the capital of the province, a cross-roads for different
people and cultures, a home to artists. The ancient heart
of the town still beats in the 17th-century neighbourhoods,
within the perimeter of the Fortresses and in the historical
districts upon which the design for the "ideal town",
commissioned by the Medicis, was based.
San Vincenzo
Surrounded by greenery, this beautiful seaside resort has
the best facilities found on the Etruscan Riviera: 11 kilometers
of unspoilt open beaches and beach amenities, a large nature
park, an excellent tourist marina and every kind of sport
facility. San Vincenzo is near many famous historical sites
and not far from Tuscany's major towns, making it an ideal
spot for summer holiday and perfect for group outings in
the winter.
In the Province: Piombino
(iron and steel works), Rosignano Marittimo (chemical factories),
Populonia (Etruscan museum and necropolis), Campiglia Marittima
(environmental interest), Castiglioncello (seaside resort),
Island of Elba.
Some history
The etruscan coast
is not only sea but a very
complex territory, where nature and art recount the history
of thousands of years.This is the land that enchanted
the Etruscans,who lived there and explotted its enormous
wealth.
The Etruscans discovered the
mines of the Fucinaia Valley,near Campiglia,and they
are the ones who began the growing of olives and the
viticulture that over the centuries have shaped the landscape
of the hills of this area as they rise behind the sea.
The
powerful Etruscan fleet ploughed the Tyrrhenian Sea,sailing
from the harbours of Vada and Baratti,while already
in the 5th century Populonia coined its own money.After
the end of the Etruscan period,this part of the Tuscan
coast went under the first Roman domination,and then
saw the birth of the feuds in the early Middle Ages.
A great number of castles
and fortified villages built up on these hills are still
in existence.to the point that it is along the Etruscan
Coast that the most significant examples of Medieval
architecture of all Tuscany can be traced.
And probably
it is not by chance that the oldest Italian family
living today,that of the Della Gherardesca counts, Longobard
in origin, had chosen to live just in front of this
strip of the Tyrrhenian Sea.So this territory is rich
in artistic evidence of several epochs, but it is also
an area of remarkable naturalistic value. |
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