"Fortified city. Not very big. Strongly protected by its walls, six bastions and a fortress; two doors only: one towards the terra firma, the other by which one can access the sea."

Thus Repetti in his Dizionario Cartografico della Toscana opens the description of our town. Numerous historical events have accompanied Grosseto on its road from village to city. Its origins can be traced to the High Middle Ages; the rare remains of greater antiquity found in certain points of the city are not sufficient to prove an Etruscan or Roman origin.
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.
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.
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 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.

Marina di Grosseto is a delightful, little village situated along the tyrrhenian coast and just 12Km aeìway from Grosseto.
We are in the heart of the tuscan Maremma surrounded by the typycal mediterranean vegetation, the sea the hills and valleys and ancient odours, where one is still living in harmony with the uncotaminated nature. Marina borders on the Natural-Park of the maremma and lies right in the middle of a luxuriant Pinewwod extending from Punta Ala to the Mountains of the uccellina. Large and sandy beaches as well as the absolutely clean sea, far away from any source of pollution invite adults and children to take a bath. This is the reason why Marinina di Grosseto has been awarded with the BLUE FLAG for the high quality standard of its sea abd environment by the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE). Marina is the ideal startingpoint to go the islands of the Tuscan archipelago, to the archaeological areas of Etruscan and Roman origin (populonia, Vetulonia, Roselle, Sovana), to the famous thermal springs of Saturnia, as well as to do some sightseeing in cities such as Firenze, Siena, Lucca and Pisa.