The promenade at Viale Italia is the city’s meeting place. Particularly smart urban planning has kept hotels away from the shoreline so that every corner of the beach can be enjoyed while walking. The area is known for its large ice cream parlors and roasted chestnut stands. Three Palms Ice Cream Shop (Three Palms building; 0566 42279) is probably the best, with more than 20 homemade flavors to choose from, while for chestnuts look for the stalls with their barbecues. Go down Via Roma to find Follonica’s stores and restaurants, as well as the Pinacoteca Civica (summer: 5-11:30 p.m. / winter: 3:30-7:30 p.m., closed Mondays; 0566 42412; free). As part of its annual calendar, the gallery hosts several contemporary art exhibitions; to participate, artists must donate at least one of their pieces to the permanent exhibition. The end result is an eclectic but interesting collection of contemporary art that also includes works by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Walter Sabatelli. Further down Via Roma is the Church of San Leopoldo: one of the most important examples of cast iron religious architecture in Europe, it was built at a time when iron was considered a metal only for use Guide to Tuscan Maremma 1. Grosseto and environs – 71 industrial; however, the effect of the dark silver-colored iron against the cream-colored facade is memorable. Inside, the richly wrought altar is spectacular, as is the bas-relief of Mary with Child, nicknamed the Madonna Ilvania because it was meant to represent the incredible
skill of the foundry, which was called Ilva. Opposite the church is the present Ilva: the Follonica foundry ceased operations in 1960, and the entire complex became part of the cultural heritage. The monumental gate on Bicocchi Street is an eclectic neo-Gothic masterpiece, a quintessential example of the skill of Follonica’s artisans in the art of iron. Of the buildings inside the foundry, the most impressive was originally built for Napoleon Bonaparte’s sister Elisa Bonaparte when she ruled in 1809, before the development of Follonica. In later years, when he was exiled to the island of Elba, Napoleon would be able to see Follonica from his retreat, a bitter irony. Today the highlight of the foundry is the Museum of Cast Iron Arts (June-September: 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m./September-June; 3:30-7 p.m., closed Mondays; 0566 59391; full/reduced: €4/€3). The second floor of the museum is dedicated to the recently unearthed Etruscan roots of Follonica’s history. In the 7th and 6th centuries BC. C., the Etruscans of Elba mined iron ore at Follonica, and on display in this museum is one of the clay furnaces they used to use. On the second floor is a collection on the history of foundry. Because the original iron pieces are scattered throughout Europe, the artifacts on display are mostly wooden models of the most significant works of art created by the foundry. The best are the dolphins, whose originals adorn Livorno’s Dogana d’Acqua, and photographs of the cast-iron columns of Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence.