THE ORIGINAL: MAREMMA – THE MAGICAL SOUTH OF TUSCANY
The Maremma is an archaeologically and historically important, yet very natural area, located in the Southern Tuscany. It is the coastal strip between Livorno and the peninsula of Monte Argentario. The name Maremma is derived from the Spanish “marisma” and means “marshy coastal area”.
The Maremma was part of the Etruscan ancestral homeland. The Etruscans – thanks to the mineral wealth of this area – built rich and beautiful towns with walls and fortifications and established the first drainage systems. The Romans profited from the fertile soil, made it arable with extensive canal systems and transformed the Maremma into the granary of Tuscany.
After the demise of Rome followed a period of wilderness in the Maremma. The drainage systems flake away, the land became marshy again, until finally spreaded malaria. The fever decimated the entire region. Today the swamps are drained, the fertile plains are fed back to its original purpose and deliver barley, corn, wine and fruit.
Without any doubt, the Tuscany is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Europe. Great artists have always been inspired by its unique light and beautiful colors. Those who speak about the Tuscany are highly impressed: the sunny garden of Italy offers landscapes of almost surreal beauty: partly mystical, soft, hazy and smooth, but also crystal clear, powerful and aboriginal wild.
Goethe once remarked ecstatically:
“Tuscany is not in Italy, but Italy is in the Tuscany.”