Maremma Park

We are in the province of Grosseto in the southern part of Tuscany, where the Maremma Natural Park, about 100 sq. meters of truly unique and protected territory: the Maremma.
Maremma Natural Park protects two of the most beautiful biotopes of the Maremma: the Uccellina Mountains and the mouth of the Ombrone River.
The Maremma is the land of the "butteri" (the Maremma cowherds), which is the Tuscan version of the cowboy, which for centuries have brought their herds of Maremma cattle to pasture here; the Maremma cow is a very old variety of cow, a direct descendant of the "bos primigenius", the bull depicted in the temples of ancient Greece.
For centuries, man and nature have managed to live together peacefully creating a union of great beauty between intact nature and ancient traditions.
The major part of the park is represented by the Uccellina Mountains, a chain running parallel to the coast and covered with thick holm-oak tree woods.
Along the coast in which the Uccellina Mountains touch the sea with a steep coastline rose an observation and defense system in the Middle Ages made up of numerous tall towers (within the park you can easily count nine).
Hidden among the Uccellina Mountains rose San Rabano Abbey, of which powerful ruins remain (see the description below).
The mouth of the Ombrone is characterized by large flatlands with pastures and great pine forests and with, in the stretch nearest to the sea, a marshy area with many animals.
The coast, around 20 km long, is characterized in the northern part by large beaches with sand dunes that meet with the pinetrees, while in the southern part the Uccellina Mountains steeply descend to the sea, creating small mortise islands.
In order to keep the park's environment intact, it is necessary to depart fromt he visitors' center of Alberese to reach the most beautiful paths; there you will find a shuttle bus that takes visitors to beginning of the pedestrian routes.