Villa Maremma

Beaches: Generally the water is warm enough to swim from mid May to mid October. Marina di Grosseto beach is a stretch of fine golden sand, lots of facilities and beach clubs (35 km - 35 minutes). Punta Ala is 30 km distant.

The islands and hiring a boat: In Porto Santo Stefano, you can hire boat which will take you to te islands of Giglio and Giannutri off the Tuscan coast. Giglio has a charming main village and castle, and many creeks hidden between the cliffs. Giannutri, its bare coastline dominated by the ruins of a Roman villa overlooking the sea, recalls some of the Greek islands, which deep-sea divers can look for sunken Roman galeons on the sea bed.

Grosseto, the main city of Maremma, consists of an old area enclosed by a beautiful hexagonal wall with six ramparts at the vertices. The historical centre is small, but well preserved. Market on Thursday - foodstuffs, household goods, clothes, plants and flowers.

The Parco Regionale de la Maremma which extends over 10.000 hectares along the coast has many signposted tracks affording views of herds of the lyre-horned cattle of the Maremma still rounded up by the local cowboys known as "butteri" and the indigenous horses of Maremma in the wild. Furthermore the park boast 7 towers, the ruins of an abbey and twenty-six grottoes. During the summer months the park can only be visited with a guide. Visits by night from 8 to 11 pm are a special thrill. 

Massa Marittima, known as the medieval jewel of the Maremma is embedded in a landscape of rare beauty. The most important landmarks are: the Cattedrale (Cathedral), Fortezza dei Senesi (Sienese Fortress), Palazzo Comunale, Palazzo Pretorio. Massa Marittimia is also known for his festival Balestro del Girofalco, an archery competition between the three neighbourhoods of the city. For more information, check out the official festival website http://www.societaterzierimassetani.it/?lang=en

A visit to the “Tuff stone villages”, three beautiful villages that lie on rocky outcrops, Sovana, Pitigliano and Sorano, which are among the “Borghi più belli d'Italia” (most beautiful villages in Italy), is particularly recommended.

Hot springs: Tuscany is famous for its hot springs. Terme di Saturnia, at 1h 30 min from the estate, is the most spectacular, with hot waterfalls in the middle of nature. In summer one might prefer coming here in the evening or even better, at night. 

Montalcino is beautifully situated on a hill inhabited since Etruscan times, swathed in vineyards and olive groves. It is a quiet, affluent, attractive town with pretty buildings and flower-filled squares, and many shops selling the Brunello di Montalcino.

Sant’Antimo is surely one of the loveliest Romanesque buildings in all of Italy. It is hard to imagine a more sympathetic combination of architectural grace and natural setting. Originally founded by Charlemagne in 800, the abbey was once home to a prominent Benedictine community. Creamy stone bricks, luminous Volterran alabaster, playful carvings and frescoes of animals give it a peculiarly sunny air. A group of French Cistercian monks now runs the abbey, celebrating Mass with Gregorian chants several times a day.

Siena: The Sienese have no doubt, their town is the most beautiful in all of Tuscany, if not all of Italy. Siena has remained a Gothic city. Renaissance, one of the major influences in Florence, hardly affected the urban development of Siena. The city unfolds around the main shell-shaped square called "Il Campo." Twice a year the famous horse race known as the "Palio" takes place here. The narrow streets are lined with old shops and small cafes, while churches and museums are real treasures of the fourteenth century.