Sublime Tuscan escape: Discover Grosseto's rich natural beauty and sustainable tourism
Grosseto, a city in Tuscany, Italy, may be small, but it offers much to tourists looking for an authentic stay. With local food and wines, natural parks, and a beautiful coastline, the destination invites tourists to experience all that it is proud of. The city has been recognized as the 2024 European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism, demonstrating the destination’s commitment to being green and sustainable.
Respecting nature
Ever since the establishment of the Regional Park of Maremma in 1975, Grosseto has focused on the preservation of nature and culture, creating a holiday experience for nature lovers from all around the world. The park stretches from the Uccellina mountains to the Tyrrhenian Sea, offering a variety of landscapes for all travelers. For those interested in local agriculture, the park offers over 30 high-quality agricultural farms with accommodations and restaurants, where visitors can take part in gastronomic tours and taste local meats, cheeses, pastas, and wines. For an active holiday, the park provides walking and cycling paths, horseback riding, carriage rides, and canoe tours of the river.
Grosseto is also home to another nature reserve – Diaccia Botrona, the most important wetland in Italy and home to over 200 species of animals and birds. Here birdwatchers can see flamingos, ospreys, egrets, purple herons, kites or jays. Animal lovers can see foxes, badgers, hedgehogs, porcupines and a variety of tortoises. For botanists, there are lake plants and about 15 different species of beautiful orchids.
An ancient city with a young heart
Grosseto is one of the few cities still surrounded by the authentic Medici walls, dating back to the 16th century. Spreading over a perimeter of 3 kilometers and an average height of 10 meters, this structure is an important part of history. Today, visitors can walk along the walls, admiring the city gates and gardens of the city. Another historical attraction, the ancient city of Roselle, is only 8 kilometers away from Grosseto. Here, visitors can walk through the ruins of this important Etruscan city and see parts of its city wall, the amphitheater and thermal baths.
Although Grosseto’s origins date back to the Middle Ages, the city center now offers visitors many modern attractions. One example is the Trame initiative, an open-air gallery in the city center, where street artworks are displayed on closed shop shutters. Special street art tours are organized to let tourists explore all of the ‘designer shutters’, and the city hosts the Trame Festival every year. The city offers free guided tours throughout the year, allowing visitors to hear about the city directly from the locals.
An active traveler’s paradise
Breath-taking views, ancient villages and nature reserves make the area an oasis for active tourists. With 100 kilometers of cycle and pedestrian paths, 250 kilometers of trekking routes, the city lets its visitors explore the area in whatever way they choose – on foot, by bike, or taking advantage of the city’s electric bicycles and scooters. The bike path from Grosseto to the beach and along the coast takes visitors through the most beautiful parts of the area, while more experienced bike enthusiasts can enjoy a tour around Grosseto’s surrounding areas through the local mountains with unforgettable views from above. These activities organized by the city’s municipality encourage locals and tourists to explore the territory in a more sustainable and slower way.
Explore other Smart Tourism destinations: Best Practices from the 2024 European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism Competition
To find out more about other smart measures that cities put forward in their applications to become the European Green Pioneers of Smart Tourism, visit the initiative’s website or download the Best Practices 2024 Report here.