Massa Marittima

Massa Marittima, is a major tourist resorts of Tuscany, and the city in fact situated in an area of special beauty and interest, that of Metalliferous Hills.
Immersed in Maremma, 20 km from the sea, Massa Marittima, cultural centre "Metalliferous Hills," is located at an altitude of 380 meters. The town covers an area of 284 km2 and has a population of about 8800 inhabitants, who lives in an area of great natural beauty, with forests cedui, maquis, areas devoted to agriculture and grazing.
The Etruscans were the first to exploit mining in the area around 750 BC The extraction of minerals brought these people to be the richest of central Italy. The town of Vetulonia Populonia and drove towards the domìni Hills Metallifere. Populonia drew wealth from iron ore extracted from the fourth century BC, nell'Isola Elba, from Vetulonia, however, left many of the inhabitants to go back to settle in the villages around to Massa Marittima (so that, in the vicinity of the lake dell'Accesa were found traces of this presence). In this land of abundant mineral rich silver and copper. And the findings made attest continued processing of minerals, which is not much different from that of modern steel mills and foundries have been found, in fact, the remains of blast furnaces, and always around the lake dell'Accesa, the foundations of a village the sixth century BC Probably lived where managers of a mine. The Etruscans transformed those minerals rich in gold, iron, silver, lead, copper, jewelry and miscellaneous items.
The excavations conducted periodically since 1980, have brought to light, on the south-east of the lake, several residential districts, which are only visible foundations of the buildings.
These nuclei comprising about ten houses each, usually two or three rooms. The construction technique was typical of settlements Etruscans: foundations stones linked to dry and raised brick raw or made with the technique of lattice (Pali wood, straw and clay), with roof tiles and tiles, floor clay bar. In the village have been found traces of activities related to the extraction and processing minerals, represented primarily by slag merger.
The site, which was the duration of a century (end VII - early sixth century. BC until the end of VI), depended on Vetulonia. Its purpose has to be seen in connection with the loss of control over mining areas by Vetulonia in favour of other centres, particularly Populonia.
After the Etruscans, the Romany continued exploitation although a minor. With the barbarian invasions and the destruction of many towns, there was the abandonment of mines until the Middle Ages. The barbaric raids and those of Saracens and pirates miserable kneeling Populonia, whose diocese was transferred around the century, Massa.
The activity was resumed by the arrival of Lombard teachers, in particular comacini, labour Tyrolean, Saxon and South Tyrol. It is no coincidence, Montieri dominated by the Bishop of Volterra, this period saw the increasing importance of its mines and Siena bought some of the Silver Collection Montieri to mint coins. The extraction of minerals copper, zinc, lead and silver in particular, was therefore a significant boost in the medieval period.
The peak of Massa Marittima mining centre as there was between 1200 and 1350, for its heritage, in fact, was called "mass Metallorum" (the city of metals). In 1225, the city became a free common riscattandosi, by virtue of the wealth that came from its mines, the lordship of the bishops, and more than one hundred years managed to maintain its independence.
He had its own brand, their weights and measures and those to the Mining Code of the first story: "ORDINAMENTA SUPER ART FOSSARUM RAMERIAE ARGENTERIAE CIVITAS MASSAE" (sec. XIII), wonderful example of legislation regulating the exploitation of mineral fields, witness capable of changing the boat reached the country is in legal terms and in its ability to manage resources of the subsoil.
Since mid-fourteenth century. Wars, plagues, the awe in Siena put an end to four centuries mining in Maremma, the Republic of Siena and then the Medici, when to assume power, considered the region as a colony and reduced in a state of extreme degradation.
Only since 1830 about the area entered a phase of recovery, especially given wide-ranging reforms and reclamation undertaken by Lorraine. He was the Grand Duke Leopold II, who released the concessions for the first attempts to survey mining in the area: these resulted in bankruptcies because of the adverse conditions, still plagued by malaria, not allowed ever to achieve concrete results even after fruitful research. Beginning in 1860 finally was born a society, "Phoenix Massetana''who exploited profitably in the areas of pyrite in the area of the lake dell'Accesa.
Upon expiration of the century appeared in Maremma the "Company Montecatini" (which took its name from its first mine, located in Montecatini Val di Cecina, in the province of Pisa), which within a short time acquired most of the mines and increased production boosting, over the years, to a chemical used product from the first processing of pyrite: sulphuric acid.
The rest is recent history: the mines were for decades the backbone of the local economy, which relied almost entirely on the mining and processing activities collateral of sulphides, this sector has undergone a phase of serious decline, the mines were all closed and Massa Marittima is trying to revive its economy with tourism.
Visiting the city meet monuments and architecture are very special, as the Cathedral of San Cerbone, built in 1200 in the Romanesque style, now holds some important works of art, like a glass built in 1300 in the Redeemer representative Gloria and stories San Cerbone, a fresco dating back to the three hundred and also depicts the Madonna With Child Throne, frescoes whose subject the Crucifixion, the Madonna in Glory with Saints Joseph and Bernardino with two monks, attributed to Nasini, with the San Cerbone Oche; inside the Cathedral are also a source baptismal some columns surmounted by a figure of Griffin, a man with a beard and a horse, a wooden crucifix made by Giovanni Pisano well and finally 11 small statues depicting saints and Prophets, which together with some frescoes can be found in the crypt.
On the square in front of the cathedral are also Pretorio Palace, built in the thirteenth century, the Palace of the Counts Biserno and the Medieval Palace of the Municipality; one of the main peculiarities of the Tuscan city is to split into two parts: the oldest part, surrounded by walls is the Old Town, where we find the house in San Bernardino house of Mint, an old building where the coins were minted, while outside the walls meet the Church of St. Francis in style Gothic, the Church of St. Augustine, St. Rocco Church, built around 1400 and finally the Renaissance Palace of Arms, which make up the New Town instead.
Many museums have been set up in Massa Marittima: The Archaeological Museum, the Mining Museum, the Museum of Art and History of Mine, the Archaeological Park of Lake dell'Accesa, Antico Frantoio and the Ancient Carpenter.
The origins of the city are placed during the Middle Ages, was built in the territory of Mount Royal and around Mille assumed considerable importance seat becoming Bishop; Massa Marittima later became Free Town, but it was still conquered and controlled from Pisa, Siena and Florence, under the rule of which entered the possessions of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
Another element of pride for the city is the award of the Medal Military Value, for the courage and the activities carried out by the population in the years of the Second World War.
The city is also famous for its wine DOC, Monteregio di Massa Marittima, the majority of the type of Sangiovese for red and Trebbiano Toscano for white; famous are also desserts that are produced in Massa Marittima, as the Panforte, Cavallucci and Ricciarelli.