BUCOLIC BEAUTY

  When all that remained of the Etruscan / Roman drainage systems were ruins, the settlements retreated to the villages situated high on the hills, soaring majestically from the rocky peaks. After various unfortunate attempts to reclaim the swamps, success was finally achieved in the 1930s by using modern techniques and machinery. This is the reason why, nowadays this strip of land is so fertile. Butteri, a local version of cowboy, breed herds of cows and buffalos.    

Like the elegant maremmano cattle with their long horns, the wiry horses crossed with an arab breed are typical of the area, and they are often bred and used for the annual horse race in Siena, known as the Palio Maremma, a strip of coastline 150km long and 60-70km wide, has maintained a wild and bucolic beauty, beyond the busy city ports.