The main vocations of the Fiora valley are agriculture and livestock farming. Its fascinating landscape is typically Tuscan. The valley is known for its rolling hills, which rise on a plateau sloping down towards the sea. Cloaked in a dusting of oak trees, these hills once outlined the peaks and slopes of hundreds of volcanoes. For centuries the rich volcanic soil has helped local farmers produce the exquisite wines and olive oils for which the valley is famous.

For tourists, the Fiora valley is the place where the Maremma heart beats faster. The painter Paride Pascucci captured in his canvases the country atmosphere of the 19th century, when even the toughest farmers were conquered by malaria and the brigands dominated the valley, not always with the romantic attitude of Robin Hood. Today the peasant culture of Pascucci’s paintings is kept alive by many festivals and traditions. In the valley, the villages are picturesque, the locals are friendly and the food is genuine and plentiful.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Antiquities before your eyes

The first Maremmans set foot in the Fiora valley half a million years ago, at a time when rhinos and elephants roamed the countryside, which seems unlikely until you see the skull of one of them preserved in the Museum of Prehistory and Protohistory of Manciano. Millennia later, the Etruscans made the Fiora valley a part of their vast empire, Etruria. The English explorer George Dennis scoured the entire valley in 1842 to discover that it had the highest density of Etruscan archaeological sites in all of Maremma. Traces of Etruscan walls and temples remain in Marsiliana and Saturnia, two of the great cities of Etruria. In the countryside around Sovana, sumptuous tombs are guarded by lion heads and mermaid statues, while in the Tuff Towns of Pitigliano and Sorano the Etruscan streets known as vie
quarries cross the length and breadth of the territory, dug so deep into the rocky walls that they look like canyons. The Etruscans who inhabited the Fiora valley were mostly farmers: in Scansano they perfected winemaking, in fact the modern Morellino di Scansano is made with grapes cloned from an Etruscan vine; a sip of this red could therefore very well be defined as a sip of history.

IN THE FOREGROUND: Strada del Vino dei Sapori Colli di Maremma

You can pick up a map of this wine route in Scansano or find it online. It connects the best wineries in the area and farms where you can have a wine tasting or buy fresh produce, take cooking lessons or take part in a guided tour of a rustic vineyard.

NOT TO BE MISSED

• A truly breathtaking view of the Maremma from the mountains to the sea from the historic center of Manciano, 1 hour.
• The incredible Jewish ghetto of Pitigliano, 2 hours.
• Bathing in the Cascate del Mulino, world-famous thermal springs… free, 1 hour.
• A guided tour of one of the best preserved medieval and Renaissance fortresses in Italy in Sorano, half an hour.
• A step more than 2,000 years back in time on the Etruscan vie cave in Sovana, 2 hours.

ITINERARY

If you have a weekend to visit the Fiora valley, start your tour early in Saturnia with a walk through the ruins of the Roman temple in Piazza Vittorio Veneto, before setting off for a short dip in the hot springs of the Mulino waterfalls. After drying off, stop in Montemerano to relive the local legend of St. George and the dragon in the frescoes of the church of San Giorgio. Then enjoy a pasta lunch in one of the small trattorias overlooking Corso Italia. Once you’ve sated your appetite, head to Manciano for the last stop of the day. Stop to watch the sunset from
one of the panoramic points of the old city and then choose one of the excellent restaurants and pizzerias for dinner. The next day, nothing better than a walk outdoors to work off the abundant breakfast served at the farmhouse: then head towards Pitigliano to visit the Jewish ghetto. Don’t leave without buying their traditional honey biscuit, the sfratto. Stop for lunch in Pitigliano, where the most exquisite dishes are served in cavernous dining rooms carved directly into the tuff. Then head towards Sorano and Sovana, where you can end the day exploring the incredible Etruscan necropolis at the Città del Tufo Archaeological Park.