What to see in Massa Marittima, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including San Cerbone Cathedral and Torre del Candeliere.
Tourist information
A city in Tuscany in the province of Grosseto, Massa Marittima is about fifteen kilometers from the sea.
The maritime term inserted in the name refers to Marittima Regio, or the name with which the coastal strip between Cecina and Civitavecchia was called, starting from the ninth century.
Surrounded by the Maremma countryside, the town constitutes the most important center of the area of the metalliferous hills of Grosseto, a territory rich in silver and copper mines, characterized for centuries by mining activity, which went into decline starting from the late seventies of the last century.
The city grew around the year 1000, when the episcopal see moved from Populonia to the Castle of Monteregio, a structure that today is incorporated into the historic center of Massa Marittima.
The period of greatest economic, cultural, artistic and architectural splendor of the city was between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, an era to which its most valuable monuments date back.
In 1225 Massa Marittima became a free municipality, and in 1317 at the end of republican life, it began to beat its own currency, the "big Massetano", but in 1335 it was conquered by Siena, an event that marked the beginning of a phase of economic decline and population.
However in 1557, with the submission of Siena to Florence, the Medici tried to favor the recovery of the territory, but the most incisive change occurred starting from 1737 with the arrival of the Lorraine family, who implemented a progressive reclamation of the basins marshes in the area, they founded a hospital, reopened the mines and encouraged a new agricultural development.
What see
The ancient center, called the "old town", with its characteristic medieval imprint, is of the highest artistic value, especially in the area around the Duomo.
The "new city", consisting of an expansion of the city designed in 1228, is located on a higher shelf on the hill.
In Piazza Garibaldi and nearby there are the beautiful architectures of the "old city", including the Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace, the thirteenth-century building of the Fonte dell'Abbondanza, the Palazzo Pretorio, the thirteenth-century House of the Counts of Biserno, the Torre dei Biserno, the Palazzo Comunale, and the Palazzetto della Zecca dating back to medieval times.
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The Cathedral of San Cerbone is a masterpiece of Pisan Romanesque-Gothic architecture, which began in the 11th century and expanded between 1287 and 1304, with the construction of the presbytery and the polygonal apse.
The bell tower is inspired by Sienese Romanesque elements, the dome is octagonal in shape and the interior with three naves houses numerous works of art.
In front of the facade of the Cathedral is the Palazzo Pretorio, built around 1230, was the ancient residence of the podestà, today it is the seat of the civic museum.
From the "old town" you enter the "new town" through via Moncini and Porta alle Silici, beyond which stands the Torre del Candeliere in Piazza Matteotti.
This tower, also called Torre dellOrologio, was demolished by the Sienese for about a third of its original height, as a sign of submission by the city to Siena.
Porta alle Silici and Torre del Candeliere are incorporated, through a majestic arch-shaped overpass, to the complex of the Sienese Fortress, built several times between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
