Lost among the enchantment of the Tuscan hills, in the silence of the countryside and shrouded in the wild nature of the woods, the medieval villages of Val di Cecina are an Italian cultural and artistic heritage of tremendous value. Among the most evocative is, without any doubt, Monteverdi Marittimo, literally surrounded by the unspoiled Mediterranean maquis and full of glimpses and suggestive tangles of alleys, the so-called “wrinkles” – that open onto enchanting squares where you can enjoy a few hours of absolute tranquility.
The history of Monteverdi begins in 754, when Benedictine monks led by the Longobard San Walfredo – the forefather of the Counts of Gherardesca – founded the Abbey of San Pietro a Palazzuolo. Around the monastery and the subsequent castle erected at its side around the year 1000, can be found the houses of this picturesque village, which over time have become a must-see for pilgrims, traders and those who practice transhumance.
But the beauties of Monteverdi are not limited within its walls, in fact in its territory there is also the Monterufoli-Caselli Natural Reservation, where in a fairytale scenery with ponds and waterfalls, live roe deer, foxes, badgers, squirrels and deer. And for lovers of romantic places, there is the small hamlet of Canneto close to the metalliferous hills, with its original elliptical urban shape, its tower houses and the Church of San Lorenzo.
The roughness of the rocks, the scents and colors of the Mediterranean vegetation make this place an enchanting corner of inland where, by closing your eyes, you can also see the sea.
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