|  This
is the main town in Maremma, situated 10 m. above sea level
on a reclaimed plain to the right of the Ombrone river,
just before this flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The town lies down in the plain of Tuscan Maremma and it
is a few Kilometres away from Tirrenian sea.
Situated in an area rich in naturalistic
and cultural value, Grosseto has both agricultural and industrial
sectors and is an important crossroads on the train route
from Rome. The splendid Maremma coast, favoring the development
of a cultivated tourism that respects the environment, includes
the Nature Park of the Uccellina and the beautiful hinterlands,
rich in archaeological sights and medieval towns.
 Of
medieval origin, it grew after the destruction (10th century)
of the nearby town of Roselle at the hands of the Saracens.
Later ruled by the Aldobrandeschis in 1336 it came under
the dominion of Siena. After the defeat of Siena by Florence,
in 1569, it shared the fortunes of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
Grosseto subsequently declined following a malaria epidemic,
but began to recover after reclamation of the surrounding
area, starting in the second half of the 18th century, continuing
in the 19th and in the present century (1930). It was heavily
bombed during the last War.
The town is largely modern in appearance,
apart from its centre, inside a circle of 16th century hexagonal
walls, transformed in the 19th century into tree-lined bastions.
 Monuments:
Fortezza Medicea (16th century), church of S. Francesco
(13th century, Gothic façade, inside a Cross painted by
Duccio di Buoninsegna), Duomo (13th-14th century), the bastion
walls (1574). Nearby Montepescali is a small village of
environmental interest.
The local economy
is based mostly on commerce and processing of agricultural
produce from the fertile hinterland (cereals, vegetables,
livestock); there are some engineering and building material
companies. Tourism linked to the nearby Marina di Grosseto
is reasonably important.
Events: Fiera
dei cavalli (horse fair, May), Dog Show (May), Flower exhibition-market
(June), various art exhibitions at the archeological museum.
Cultural Institutions:
State Archives, Chellian library, Archeological Museum,
Civic Natural History Museum, Diocesan Museum of Religious
Art (paintings of the 13th-17th century Sienese school),
Maremma Historical Society.
History of Grosseto
The Grosseto area has been visited since the Etruscan era,
but the city became important only in the High Middle Ages,
when it was a highway nexus between Pisa and Rome. After
the destruction of Roselle by the Saracens in the 10th century,
Grosseto became an episcopality and underwent some development.
This, however, ended due to the unhealthy conditions of
the swampy territory. During the dominion of the Aldobrandeschi
(11th century), Grosseto obtained the status of a commune,
but lost this status forever after being conquered by the
Sienese in the 14th century. Following the fortunes of the
Sienese in the 16th century, the city fell under the Medici,
who built new walls and carried out reconstructions to improve
the malarial coastline. Under the Lorena, the improvements
were finally completed, and Grosseto could begin an ever-stronger
urban and economic development.
Things To see
The beautiful city walls from the Medici era (1574) enclose
the small historic center. Six hexagonal bastions enclose
streets and gardens where (beginning in 1835) the public
could stroll. In addition to the medieval fortifications,
the walls also contain the imposing Medici Fortress, dominated
by the impressive Sienese guardhouse from the 1300?s.
From the Porta Nuova, one reaches the historic
center. The Church of S. Peter, one of the oldest in the
city, preserves the beautiful Romanesque abbey and a large
bell tower crowned by a peculiar dome. The Church of S.
Francesco, erected by the Benedictine order in the 13th
century, has a simple Francescan Gothic character (14th
century). A beautiful doorway and a rose window decorate
the chambered façade. The suggestive internal nave is illuminated
by large Gothic windows and frescoes from the Sienese School.
It is enriched by a beautiful Crucifix, a work attributed
to Duccio di Buoninsegna. In the cloister there are two
valuable Renaissance wells. The Duomo of S. Lorenzo was
created in the 14th century by Sozzo di Rustichino, on the
remains of a Romanesque church. The façade is Neogothic
in style (19th century), but it conserves the original symbols
of the evangelists. The decoration in bi-chrome bands is
rendered lighter by an elegant gallery of arcades and a
large rose window. The right side still has its finely-illustrated
ancient doorway. Within the three-naved interior, one can
admire Sienese sculptures from the 15th century: a baptismal
font (1470) and an elegant 15th-century altarpiece with
a painting on wood of the Assumption executed by Matteo
di Giovanni. The brick bell tower from the 1400?s has often
been repaired.
The itinerary of the city concludes with
the interesting Museum of Art and Archeology of the Maremma.
Besides archeological remains from the Grosseto region,
it also houses precious collections of sacred art from the
former museum of the Diocese. The archeological section
includes remains datable from the lower Paleolithic to the
Middle Ages. The collection of sacred art includes paintings
from the Sienese, Florentine and Pisan Schools (13th to
the 17th centuries). In the section of minor arts there
are decorated books, ceramics, and a collection of wooden
statues.
Art of Grosseto
Museum of Art and Archeology of the Maremma Piazza Baccarini
How To Arrive
By car State road SS1 or Superhighway
1 from Livorno.
State road SS 73 from Siena.
Highway A12 and then Superhighway 1 from Rome.
By train Rail communications follow the
route of the main roads; connections with Livorno, Viterbo
and Rome.
By Air The closest airport is G. Galilei
of Pisa (tel. 050/500707).
How To Get Around
The little historic center is a pedestrian area. One can
park near the principle entrances into the walls.
Useful Addresses
Tourist Information
APT Agency for the Promotion of Tourism
Viale Monte Rosa 206, tel. 0564/454527
Tourist Information Office, tel: 0564/454510
The Food in Grosseto
The dish par excellence in Maremma gastronomy is "acqua
cotta" (?cooked water?), a flavorful soup of peasant
origin made with vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, toasted bread
and pecorino cheese. One of the simplest soups, "acqua
pazza" (?crazy water?), is made with aromatic herbs,
leeks and bread. Lombard bean soup was imported by Lombard
workers, who were working in the 19th century to reclaim
the swamps. The ?macaroni maremmani? is flavored with a
sauce made from rabbit, sausage, tomato and mushrooms. Among
second dishes, those tied to traditional hunting in the
hinterlands and to coastal fishing are pre-eminent: caldaro,
a flavorful fish soup, scaveccio di anguille (eel), scottiglia
(stew made from mixed meats), buglione di agnello (lamb),
and steamed boar. The local side dishes are simple, but
flavorful: famed tomatoes and porcini mushrooms and all
garden greens in season.
Shopping in Grosseto
Strolling through the center of town, one can acquire the
products of local artisans: ceramics and jewelry inspired
by Etruscan art, hand-made accessories in leather, shoes,
trappings for horses, and traditional Maremma saddles. Not
to be missed are the best of the Maremma pork products (finocchiona,
boar?s ham, sauces from wild game) and other excellent local
products such as cheeses (pecorino from Manciano, Ginestrino
in Maremma), aromatic olive oils, vegetables under oil,
and prestigious wines (Morelino di Scansano, Alberese, Capalbio,
Bianco di Pitigliano).
Theatres
Teatro degli Industri Via Mazzini.
In the Province: Vetulonia
(Etruscan necropolis), Orbetello, Castiglione della Pescaia
(seaside resort), Follonica, Gavorrano (mining), Massa Marittima
(city of art). |
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