Grosseto

Prehistory

The entire municipal area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, as evidenced by the remains in several caves located between the Uccellina Mountains and the mouth of the Ombrone River, inside the Maremma Regional Park. In particular, artifacts dating back to the Paleolithic, the Copper Age and Bronze Age have been discovered in the Fabbrica Cave and the Scoglietto Cave.^[7][8][9]

Rusellae

Certainly the city of Grosseto, where is today located, did not exist in the Etruscan period, when instead the entire area was part of Rusellae, an important city nowdays situated few kilometers north of the downtown of Grosseto. In the 6th century BC, the period of greatest splendor of Rusellae, are documented commercial relations with other important Etruscan cities, such as Vetulonia, Populonia, Vulci and Chiusi as a member of the Etruscan dodecapolis. A flourishing city that governed a vast territory that went from the sea to Mount Amiata, it fought in the war against Tarquinius Priscus together with the other Latin peoples, then ended up conquered by the Romans in 294 BC and becoming a Roman municipium. In 205 BC it contributed to the supply of grain and wood for the fleet of Scipio Africanus during the Second Punic War. Under the empire it became a colonia and enjoyed a period of great splendor with the construction of forum, basilica, amphitheatre, and thermal baths. In the 5th century it was erected as a christian bishop's seat (first attested in 499)^[10].

Middle Ages

The decline of Rusellae began in the 6th century, paralleled by the barbarian invasions and the silting up of Lake Prile. By the end of the 6th century, Rusellae was one of the remaining Byzantine strongholds in Tuscia; the Lombard conquest dates back to the early 7th century. It was during this period that the first nucleus of the settlement of Grosseto formed, which some studies identify in the area now between Piazza della Palma and Piazza dei Martiri d'Istia.^[11][12] While continuing to be a bishopric, Rusellae suffered a decline in population in favor of Grosseto, that was rapidly growing along the Ombrone River^[13]. It was first mentioned in 803 as a fief of the Counts Aldobrandeschi, in a document recording the assignment of St. George's Church to Ildebrando degli Aldobrandeschi, whose successors were counts of the Grossetana Mark until the end of the 12th century.

Grosseto steadily grew in importance, owing to the decline of Rusellae and Vetulonia until it was one of the principal Tuscan cities. In 1137 the city was besieged by German troops, led by Duke Heinrich X of Bavaria, sent by the emperor Lothair III to reinstate his authority over the Aldobrandeschi. In the following year the bishopric of Roselle was transferred to Grosseto.

In 1151, the citizens swore loyalty to the Republic of Siena, and in 1222 the Aldobrandeschi gave the Grossetani the right to have their own podestà, together with three councilors and consuls. In 1244 the city was reconquered by the Sienese, and its powers, together with all the Aldobrandeschi's imperial privileges, were transferred to Siena by order of the imperial vicar. Thereafter Grosseto shared the fortunes of Siena. It became an important stronghold, and the fortress (rocca), the walls and bastions can still to be seen.

In 1266 and in 1355, Grosseto tried in vain to win freedom from the overlordship of Siena. While Guelph and Ghibelline parties struggled for control of that city, Umberto and Aldobrandino Aldobrandeschi tried to regain Grosseto for their family. The Sienese armies were, however, victorious, and in 1259 they named a podestà from their city. But Grosseto gained its freedom and in the following year and fought alongside the Florentine forces in the Battle of Montaperti.

Over the next 80 years Grosseto was again occupied, ravaged, excommunicated by Pope Clement IV, besieged by emperor Louis IV and by the antipope Nicholas V in 1328, until it finally submitted to its more powerful neighbour, Siena. The pestilence of 1348 struck Grosseto hard and by 1369 its population had been reduced to some hundred families. Its territory, moreover, was frequently ravaged, notably in 1447 by Alfons V of Sicily and in 1455 by Jacopo Piccinino.

Renaissance and modern era

Sienese rule ended in 1559, when Charles V handed over the whole duchy to Cosimo I de Medici, first grand duke of Tuscany. In 1574 the construction of a line of defensive walls was begun, which are still well preserved today, while the surrounding swampy plain was drained. Grosseto, however, remained a minor town, with only 700 inhabitants at the beginning of the 18th century. Under the rule of the House of Lorraine, Grosseto flourished. It was given the title of capital of the new Maremma province. In 1943, the city was heavily bombed by the Allies. On 22 March 1944, the Maiano Lavacchio massacre took place into the countryside between Grosseto and Magliano in Toscana.

Climate

Grosseto has a Mediterranean climate with mild wet winters and very hot humid summers. On average there are 25 nights a year where the low reaches or dips below 0 °C (32 °F) and 41 days where the high surpasses 30 °C (86 °F), sometimes reaching close to 40 °C (104 °F). Average annual temperatures hover around 15 °C (59 °F), with averages around 8 °C (46 °F) in January and close to 24 °C (75 °F) in July. Of all the italian cities, Grosseto is one with the highest average number of sunny days per year. Extended periods of sunny days are frequent, especially during the spring and summer seasons, but sometimes also in winter. Precipitations are concentrated mainly in autumn, sometimes in the form of thunderstorms. The precipitations are extimated around 600 mm annually, distributed over 60 to 70 days. The city suffered severe damage during the Grosseto flood of November 4, 1966, and remained marginally affected by the Maremma Grossetana flood of November 2012.^[15][16][17]

Subdivisions

The municipality of Grosseto was subdivided into eight districts (circoscrizioni) from 1977 to 2011.

Frazioni

Foreign population

More information Country of birth, Population ...

Largest resident foreign-born groups as 31 December 2023^[23]

Country of birth	Population
Romania	1,721
Albania	1,036
Ukraine	606
Morocco	478
Moldova	393
Bangladesh	343
Pakistan	297
Poland	209
China	192
Dominican Republic	167

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Religion

Near the urban area is located Nomadelfia, a catholic community founded by the priest Zeno Saltini in 1948.^[24]

The Italian Apostolic Church was founded in Grosseto in 1927; the city is home of the national centre.^[25][26][27]

Literature

Andrea da Grosseto was born in Grosseto in the first half of the 1200's. He is very important in Italian literature, because he is considered the first writer in the Italian language. Andrea da Grosseto translated from Latin the Moral Treaties of Albertano of Brescia, in 1268. His texts were written in the Italian language, without too many redundancies and constructions, words and typical ways of speech of the vernacular and the dialect. The writer intended to not utilise his own Grossetan dialect, but to use a general "Italian national language". In fact he twice refers to the vernacular which he uses defining it italico (Italic). So Andrea da Grosseto was the first to intend to use vernacular as a national unifying language from the north to the south of the entire Peninsula.

An other important writer was Luciano Bianciardi^[34][35][36], one of the most important writers of the Italian literature in the second half of the 20th century.

Museums

• Maremma Archaeological and Art Museum
• Natural History of Maremma Museum
• Gianfranco Luzzetti Collection Museum
• Diocese of Grosseto Sacred Art Museum
• Museolab Città di Grosseto^[37]
• Savoia Cavalleria 3rd Regiment Museum^[38]
• Ildebrando Imberciadori Local History Museum of Montepescali.

Cinema

Grosseto and Maremma have been settings for numerous works of fiction and movies, including the novels and associated films, such as The Easy Life (1962) with Vittorio Gassman; La vita agra (1964), from the novel of the same name by Luciano Bianciardi, with Ugo Tognazzi; An Ideal Place To Kill (1969) directed by Umberto Lenzi; In viaggio con papà (1982), with Alberto Sordi; Nothing Left to Do But Cry (1984), with Massimo Troisi and Roberto Benigni; It's Happening Tomorrow (1988); Viola bacia tutti (1997) with Asia Argento; The Talented Mr. Ripley with Matt Damon and Jude Law; Emma sono io (2002); Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio; Manuale d'amore 3 (2011) with Robert De Niro and Monica Bellucci; Swiss movie Summer Games; Margins (2022), and some Leonardo Pieraccioni's movies. Famous Italian actress Elsa Martinelli and actor Luigi Pistilli were both born in Grosseto. Actress Laura Morante was born in Santa Fiora, and director Umberto Lenzi in Massa Marittima, both in the province of Grosseto.

Cuisine

Is popular the traditional Maremman Cousine^[39]. Schiaccia alla pala (oven-baked bread with oil) and Schiaccia con cipolle e acciughe (oven-baked bread with onions and anchovies) are typical breads of the city of Grosseto.

The Medicean Walls

The walls were commissioned by Cosimo I de Medici in 1564, in order to replace those from the 12th-14th centuries, as part of his policy of making Grosseto a stronghold to protect his southern border. The design was by Baldassarre Lanci, and construction began in 1565. Until 1757 the exterior was surrounded by a ditch with an earthen moat. There were two main gates: Porta Nuova on the north and Porta Reale (now Porta Vecchia) on the south.

The walls are now used as a public park and walking area.

Religious architecture

Churches in the city centre

• Church of San Francesco. Situated on the square with the same name, it was built in the 13th century, initially a Benedictine, later Franciscan convent. The complex underwent several restorations and reconstructions: the bell was rebuilt in the first half of the 20th century. Very characteristic is the wooden tabernacle that stands on the front and inside there are works of art from various historical periods. At the center of the cloister stands the characteristic Pozzo della Bufala (Well of the Buffalo) in travertine; another well is located in the square outside the church.
• Convent of Clarisse. Located on strada Vinzaglio, the convent is annexed to the Church of Bigi. The convent of Clarisse and the church of Bigi are now deconsecrated. The entire complex is characterized by the probable medieval origins, which was followed by a series of restorations in Baroque style in the 17th century. Today the convent hosts the Museolab Città di Grosseto and the university.
• Church of San Pietro. The oldest religious building in town, on Corso Carducci.
• Church of Misericordia (19th century). It belonged to various religious orders during the following centuries, before moving on brotherhood in the early decades of the 19th century. In the past, there were several well-preserved works of art currently on display in the section on Sacred Art of the Archaeological and Art Museum of Maremma.

Civil architecture

Palazzi and other buildings

Within the walls of Grosseto are the following buildings:

• Palazzo Aldobrandeschi, located on Piazza Dante, is a Gothic Revival building designed by architect Lorenzo Porciatti as the seat of the Province of Grosseto.
• Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall), located on Piazza del Duomo, to the left of the Cathedral, was built between 1870 and 1873.
• Episcopal Palace. It hosts the offices and the curia of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grosseto.
• Palazzo Monte dei Paschi, it is a Renaissance Revival palace designed by Vittorio Mariani.
• Grand Hotel Bastiani, a Renaissance Revival style building designed by Mariani.
• Palazzo del Genio Civile, built in the early 20th century, it shows fine ceramic decorations.
• Palazzo Tognetti, an Art Nouveau style building on three levels located on Corso Carducci.
• Palazzo Moschini, it houses the State Archives of Grosseto.
• Palazzo Carmignani, a landmark building built in 1921.
• Palazzo Chiarini, located in Via dell'Unione, it dates back to the 17th century.
• Palazzo Berti. Overlooking on Corso Carducci in the front of the Church of San Pietro, it is a stately and elegant building built in 1894.
• Palazzo Cappelli, located on Corso Carducci to the right of San Pietro, it is in a neoclassical style building.
• Palazzo Pallini, a neoclassical building of the early 20th century, it is located along Corso Carducci.
• Palazzo Mensini, built in 1898, it is the seat of the Chelliana Library.
• Cassero del Sale, built during the 13th century to store the salt collected from the wetland of the coast.
• Casa del Fascio, it was built during Fascism to host the local National Fascist Party.
• Cinema Marraccini, former cinema opened in 1926 and closed in 2003.
• Grosseto Prison, a 19th-century jailhouse.
• Villino Magrassi, an eclectic-style villa built in 1927 by architect Francesco Pistelli.
• Villino Mazzoncini, an early 20th-century villa on Via Mazzini, in front of the Theatre of Industri.

Outside the walls of Grosseto are the following buildings:

• Villino Pastorelli, a Gothic Revival villa built between 1908 and 1913 by the architect Lorenzo Porciatti.
• Villino Panichi, an Art Nouveau villa built in 1900 by the architect Porciatti.
• Middle school "Giovanni Pascoli", a middle school located in Piazza della Vasca, it was originally built in 1923 by the engineer Giuseppe Luciani to accommodate boarding and a normal school.
• Palazzo delle Poste (Post Office), located on Piazza della Vasca, it was designed by the architect Angiolo Mazzoni in 1930, as a symbol of Fascist architecture.
• Palazzo del Governo, it was designed by Vittorio Mariani and built in 1927.
• Cosimini Building, it is a multipurpose facility (bank, offices, apartments and shops) designed by Ludovico Quaroni in 1970.
• Palazzina Tempesti, an Art Nouveau building on Viale Mameli.
• Villino Andreini, an Art Nouveau building on Viale Mameli.

Sculptures and memorials

• Canapone, a marble statue celebrating Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, located in the center of Piazza Dante.
• Colonna dei bandi, a Roman column from Rusellae located at the right side of the cathedral, it was traditionally used as the public spot to post municipal notices.
• Grosseto War Memorial, originally built in 1896, it is located along the walls, on the Rimembranza bastion. It honors the victims of the Italian War of Independence, World War I and World War II.
• Monument to Andrea da Grosseto, made between 1973 and 1974 by sculptor Arnaldo Mazzanti, it is located in Piazza Baccarini. It commemorates Andrea da Grosseto, the scholar who translated the Moral Treatises of Albertanus of Brescia in 1268 providing a first example of Italian literary prose.
• Monument to Ettore Socci, located in the Piazza Ettore Socci, it was made in 1907 by Emilio Gallori in honor of the politician Ettore Socci.

Wells

• Pozzo dello Spedale (lit. 'Well of the Hospital'), made during the 15th century, it is located in the Piazza San Francesco in front of the right lateral side of the church of San Francesco.
• Pozzo della Bufala (lit. 'Well of the Buffalo'), located in the courtyard of the cloister of San Francesco, was built by the Medici to replace an existing well to supply water to the men who lived in the convent.
• Pozzo della Fortezza (lit. 'Well of the Fortress'), located in the Piazza d'Armi inside the Fortezza bastion that surrounds the fortified Citadel, it was built in the 16th century for supply water of the guards stationed there.

Others

• The Etruscan-Roman site of Rusellae.
• Medieval buildings in the frazioni of Batignano, Istia d'Ombrone and Montepescali.
• Granducal villa of Alberese, built by the Knights Hospitaller in the 15th century, and later used as residence by the Grand Dukes of Tuscany.

Trains

The city is served by the Pisa-Rome railway line (also called as Tyrrenian Railway) connecting Genoa to the Capital and serves as the terminus of trains on the single track branch line to Siena.

Here is the list of railway stations in the city of Grosseto:

• Grosseto station, situated along the Pisa-Roma line, it is also the terminus of the Siena-Grosseto railway. It is the main railway station of the city.
• Montepescali station, located in Braccagni, near Montepescali, at the point of bifurcation between the Pisa-Rome railway and the Siena-Grosseto line.
• Alberese station, located along the railway Pisa-Roma near Alberese, since 2010 only served by buses.
• Rispescia station, now disused, situated near Rispescia and was a place of occasional stop for regional trains.

Public transport

Until 2010, urban public transport was managed by the company RAMA, after the service was owned by Tiemme Toscana Mobilità, one of the companies of the consortium ONE Scarl^[53] to accomplish the contract stipulated with the Regione Toscana for the public transport in the 2018-2019 period. Intercity buses depart from the main bus station in Piazza Marconi. There are also several bus services going to Florence and other cities. A network of urban bus routes also operates in Grosseto, and the bus station serves as an interchange point between these, the intercity routes and extra-urban routes which extend into the rest of the Province of Grosseto. Since 1 November 2021, the public local transport is operated by Autolinee Toscane.^[54]

Port

The city has a modern tourist dock opened in 2004 in the seaside resort of Marina di Grosseto, at the mouth of the San Rocco Canal. For passenger traffic in the medium range, the main port is Porto Santo Stefano (40 km), with ferry for the islands of Giglio and Giannutri.

Airport

Grosseto is served by Grosseto Baccarini Airport, located west of the city. It is the biggest airport of Tuscany, the air base with the longest runway in Italy and has an international importance as a base for Nato missions in Europe.^[55][56][57] It is also a commercial airport by civilian charter flights and private aircraft, and has a terminal to accommodate international passengers.

With regard to domestic and international flights, the airports of reference are the Galileo Galilei Airport of Pisa and Rome-Fiumicino Airport.

Highways

The city is connected to Rome by the Via Aurelia highway which rejoins to the Grande Raccordo Anulare for connections with southern Italy, to Livorno by the Variante Aurelia highway, which rejoins the Autostrada A12 for connections with north-western Italy and to Siena by the Grosseto-Siena highway, which rejoins the Siena-Florence motorway link for connections with northern Italy and constitutes the first section of the European Route E78 Grosseto-Fano for connections with north-eastern Italy and the Adriatic coast.

Twin towns – sister cities

Grosseto is twinned with:^[58]