Castiglione Della Pescaia

Castiglione della Pescaia, is a charming town that rises from the shores of the Mar Tirreno, built on territory and landscape of great fascination and wonder, overlooking from its little knolls the valleys, hills and beautiful beaches below. In a union of environment and art absolutely unique and particular, it deserves to be appreciated from every angle and light.

The town of Castiglione della Pescaia is one of the most beautiful and appreciated tourist locations in the Maremma and can boast the acknowledgment of the 5 sails, granted by Legaambiente, for its urban characteristics, the beauty of its panorama and for its uniqueness, the town is also famous for its nickname “Switzerland of the Maremma”.

The splendid town of Castiglione della Pescaia is a fascinating seaside village in the province of Grosseto, a real and truly unique paradise of art and medieval culture, immersed amongst absolutely stunning natural scenery and views.

As the environment is still wild and untouched, it helps to give the city a magical and enchanting feeling, as if time has stopped and the town is still in an ancient era.

Numerous and stunning are the attractions which the Maremman town can offer to its visitors and tourists, in fact walking through the streets you can experience the enchanting feeling of diving right back into the past, the discovery of very ancient architecture and buildings, important testimony to the secular history, are just part of the town which is also home to extraordinary examples of medieval art.

Between its ancient streets and alleys you can have the opportunity to admire historical homes and posh palazzi of great beauty and interest, which will surely charm any visitor.

Not to miss:

The Church of St. Maria of Giglio: built in the 18th century, it is a fascinating Renaissance building, home to some splendid frescoes produced in the Baroque period

The Church of St. Giuseppe Battista: built in the 1500 in the historical centre of the town, it is joined to a striking bell tower, whilst inside it houses the precious relics of St. Guglielmo of Aquitania.

Villa Romana: a villa of the Roman era, tangible testimony to the presence of this race in the Tuscan land.

The Casa Rossa Ximenes (The Red House of Ximenes): named after the architect Leonardo Ximenes, who worked on the project and production. The building was desired by the Grand Duke Leopoldo of Lorena in the course of 1767, to begin his project of reclaiming the wetlands which surrounded the town.

The Natural Park of the Maremma: a natural reserve where numerous flora and fauna live, extremely close to the city is another protected area known as the Reservation of Diaccia Botrona.

The Archaeological Museum dedicated to Isidoro Falchi: a medic in the 19th century who suggested that the ruins found in the area of Vetulonia indicated that it could have been the site of very ancient Roman city. Inside the museum you can find a vast collection of tombs, urns, archaeological remains, precious objects and some engraved stones, dating back to the Roman period.

The Multimedia Museum: located in the Casa Rossa Ximenes. On the first floor of the building you can admire the ancient machines which were used to move sluice gates. Whilst on the floor above you can find the multimedia centre, which displays imagines which stream from the video cameras located in the natural reserve of Diaccia Botrona, on top of the Casa Rossa and in the territory of the Island Clodia With these visitors and those passionate about the environment can observe the life of the animals and the beauty of the flora without disturbing nature.

History:

The territory of Castiglione della Pescaia was already inhabited in a very ancient age, under the dominion of the Etruscans and the Romans, sequentially. In the course of the medieval period, the control of the centre fell to the city of Pisa until, in the 13th century the village became an independent commune. In the course of centuries the town was ruled by the Medici family, then returned once again to Pisa, then followed by preemption by the Spanish and then, the first to be annexed by the Kingdom of Italy, it finally fell under the dominion of Florence.