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. |