 Few places in this world can boast the blessings of land, water and air together in the eternal construction of its beauty. Maremma is one such place carved with artistic hands of all three forces of nature - the land, water and air. The resulting park is a huge area of lush vegetation, exhibiting the various species of animal kingdom and the gentle touch of glorious beaches of aquatic ecological importance. All in this entire mini biosphere has everything that one can imagine taking about nature. The park of Maremma is located in southern Tuscany and is very much a part of province of Grosseto with a coast of about 9800 hectares. The heart of the park is marked by the Uccellina Mountains parallel by the side of the coast. The river Ombrone characterizes the northern side of the park. Thus the variety of landscape is the feature, which separates the park from rest of its kind. Landscape such as fields, Mediterranean maquis, rocky areas, pinewoods, marshes and sandy dunes altogether creates the wonderful experience of the park.
The exotic experience of Maremma can be understood if we break the entire tour into various courses or component to understand the park better. To start with let’s talk about the vegetation or the pant kingdom present in the park. The prominence of the gigantic holm oaks, phillyrea latifolia, strawberry trees, and the lentiscus can be seen in the calcareous soil while the silicon rich soil show the growth of heather and cork oak. Apart from the holm oaks the eastern sides also nests the quercus puberscens, sorbus domestica, ivy and the clematis vitalba to name some. Wild asparagus are novelties under the humid and shadowed soil under the woods. The other specialty of the Maremma woods is the maple, myrtle, lentiscus, lavender, maquis, brooms, the maritime savin, rosemary and various types of wild orchids to be witnessed during the springtime. The psammofila type or the sandy ground-loving category of vegetation is also in abundance in the park. Euphorbia peplis, salsola soda, and xanthium are to name some. The juniper and the olives are no doubt the treats from the park, which are also in abundance.
The fauna however is developed in consideration with the flora of the park. The maquis acts as a camouflage as well the pastures for grazing for many animals including the roebucks and wild boars. The others to be seen in prominence are the fox and deer, skunks, wild cats, pecan and stone marten. Apart from the mentioned animals the park also gives shelter to various birds therefore claiming its status as paradise also for the bird watchers. The famous among the lot are the black bird, green finch, corn bunting, serin, the black cap, jay, the green woodpecker, buzzard, kestrel, robin, wild owl, woodcock, cuckoo, the sandpiper and the turtledove. The natural creation of the mentioned flora and fauna is well supported by the water resources running inside the park, which are supported equally by mankind by the creation of the manmade waterways as well as the naturally created waterways and streams running along the mountains. The supporting rivers are off course the Ombrone and Albegna to add on to the equilibrium created by nature among the waterways.
Maremma can be termed as a perfect destination for the romantic traveler not only because of the varied beautiful landscapes but also because of the elegant beeches that it holds in its robe. The multicolored coastline of the sunny beaches of Maremma is blessed with transparent clear sea which can be enjoyed to its fullest as it claims to be the cleanest in Italy. The 160km coastline provides with various options for its visitors to enjoy and fall in love for it forever. Starting with long sandy beaches, which are protected with pine forest one can simply relish in the coves of Cala Martina and Cala Violina or may venture in the furnished beaches of Castiglione della Pescaia and Marina di Grosseto. Well if you are not the one who can sit quite in front of sea then get set for your wind surfing expedition, water skiing, underwater fishing, motor boating or scuba diving. In fact Monte Argentario is considered as most favorite by many scuba divers across the globe. The richness of the beaches extends to the Orbetello lagoon and the golden groomed beaches of the Feniglia and the Giannella, Capalbio coast and the island of Giglio and Giannutri that can only be called the paradise of the world with its spell bound views of nature.
There is however certain marks in the geographical map of Maremma that one should not miss in any case as these are the ones much adored by the travelers through ages. To start with is the lake Massaciuccoli - a splendid creation of a deltaic lagoon by the river Serchio making it a nature’s self created museum of flora and fauna. The next to mention would certainly be the San Rossore estate of 4800 hectares known for its beautiful landscape and the richness of nature in it. The estate certainly is a treat for nature lover delimiting itself by river Serchio, Fossa Cuccia, river Arno and the Tyrrheanian Sea. The lames and dunes of this area have its own unique resource of vegetation and animals, which make this, place a wonderful experience.
There is yet another reason for visiting Maremma beyond the attraction created by its geographical resources and beauties and that is off course none other the gastronomical lust. Equally to appreciate are the wonderful and mouthwatering dishes of Maremma which include the acquacotta, egg noodles with hare sauce, ravioli stuffed with chard and ricotta cheese with meat sauce, the roasted wild boar, the hare and so on which are still created maintaining there traditional recipes. To go along with your food Maremma provides some exceptional wines from this place, some which are of D.O.C. calibration. To name some would be the Morellino di Scansano, Montegregio-Massa Marittima, and Montecucco, which can make the exotic experience of the park sparkle with romance.
The trip is sufficient to rejuvenate one’s life and pump that extra energy much sought these days and which can only come through the resources of Mother Nature. The turning point of life is perhaps what is Maremma. |
