Massa Marittima

Located in the heart of the Maremma Pisana, among the splendid rolling and wooded countryside, Massa Marittima is a city of Etruscan-Roman origins and of ancient mining traditions, linked to the resources of the Metallifere Hills. It is famous for the beauty of its urban core, among the most remarkable in Tuscany, subdivided into two distinct cores, that is Massa Vecchia (Old Massa), below, and Massa Nuova (New Massa), above. After an interlude as a free city, in 1335 Massa Marittima entered into a part of the Sienese dominion, then falling prey to a tragic epidemic of the plague, caused partially by the conditions of unhealthiness of the natural environment (which continued to the era of the great reclamations), beginning a long period of decline. Today, however, Massa is in a certain sense "risen again": location of substantial tourist flow, the city offers the well-read traveler many points of attraction, in virtue overall of both the artistic-architectural beauty and of the archeological and historic testimony of mining activity.
Fulcrum of the Old City is Piazza Garibaldi, considered one of the most mature examples of medieval urban Tuscany, where almost all of the major civil and ecclesiastical monuments stand out, among which peaks the solemn and magnificent massive structure, the Duomo. Dedicated to San Cerbone, the Duomo of Massa Marittima is one of the most refined sacred buildings of Tuscany: realized in conchi the church began in the mid-1100's in Pisa style and constitutes a renowned expression of Romanesque-Gothic architecture. Competing for space at the Cathedral is then Palazzo Comunale, large Romanesque monument, in travertine and on three floors of double lancet windows, resulting from the fusion of the pre-existing house-towers; Still in Piazza Garibaldi are also worth mentioning the Romanesque House of the Counts of Biserno with embattled tower, the 13th-century Palazzo dell'Abbondanza, which functioned as a public granary, and the contemporary Palazzo Pretorio, located in front of the cathedral and with travertine façade, embellished by two levels of double lancet windows and coats of arms of authority: it is home to the important Archaeological Museum.
After having tasted the atmosphere of the Old City, (not to miss is the picturesque Via della Libertà and Via Parenti, rich in medieval small palaces, you can go up to the so-called "Massa Nuova" (New Massa), which you reach by means of Via Moncini, connecting street between the two built-up areas, which ends at the 14th-century Porta alle Silici, meeting point of the primitive Massa wall and Sienese wall. Having crossed the double opening, you reach Piazza Matteotti, counterpoint of Piazza Garibaldi and heart of the "new city". Here the scenery is dominated by the great Fortezza dei Senesi (14th century) complex structure with the appearance of once being residential and military, probably erected on the design by Agnolo di Ventura, which a slender pointed arch connecting to the Candle Tower (or Clock), residue of the original 13th century rock. Nearby rises the Palazzo delle Armi, from 1443, where the Museum of Mining Art and History is housed, which documents the traditional mining activities of the zone, until the Etruscan era. Non far away you will find the Romanesque-Gothic Church of San Francesco (13th century) and Church of Sant'Agostino; built between the 13th and 14th century in Gothic style, with nude travertine façade and polygonal apse, the Church of Sant'Agostino represents one of the most relevant monumental poles of Massa Marittima: it has a cloister, very run-down, and a characteristic embattled bell tower, while inside, in the only nave, numerous works of art are conserved, among which two holy-water stoups and 16th-century frescoes, a wooden statue of Santa Lucia, and a marble ciborium from the 1400's, a terracotta by Zacchia Zacchi, as well as different paintings. Finally, we remember that the nearby Church of San Pietro (now used for functions for exhibitions of contemporary art) is home to the interesting Museum of Santa Cecilia of Old Mechanical Organs, which shows the evolution of keyboard instruments.