Location description from owner

The Tuscany region

Great traditional food, fantastic wines, beautiful countryside, long hot summer days. Hill top villages, churches hiding renaissance frescoes and ceramics ........ sweeping uncrowded beaches with a beautifully clean sea ..... all the cliches about Tuscany are here and they're all true - especially in here Maremma, the unspoilt southern part of the region. South of Siena, Maremma runs down to the border with Lazio. This is a land of Etruscan remains, gently rolling hills, untouched medieval villages with a pace of life that can take you back 50 years if not more.

Triana, Italy

Maremma is the name given to the southernmost area of Tuscany. The rolling hills of this area are famous for their unspoilt natural beauty. Typical local products are Pecorino cheese, olive oil and the local wines Morellino di Scansano and Montecucco. This is a great place to experience a rural way of life that has changed little for hundreds of years.

'One of the finest villages in southern Tuscany' ( Rough Guide), Roccalbegna was built over 800 years ago as an outpost of the Republic of Siena and it's changed very little since. Admire the recently restored 15 th century trpitych in the norman church. Art fans can ask for admission to the smaller chapel that houses a splendid early renaissance painting.

The hot springs of Saturnia are 20 minutes away. Join the dressing gown clad Italians for a therapeutic dip in the waterfall or visit the Spa hotel for a massage - or a round of golf.

The Tuscan seaside resorts of Castiglione della Pesacia and Marina di Grosseto offer all the facilities you'd expect of an Italian seaside resort. If serried ranks of 'ombrellone' aren't your thing then the four mile long beach in the 'Parco dell'Ucillina' just south of Grosseto is for you, not a single 'ombrellone' operation just mile after mile of golden sand.

The Etruscans lived peacefully in this area for hundreds of years until their southern neighbours in Rome began to flex their muscles. The Romans adopted many Etruscan traditions, still are some with us today. The Etruscan winged gods were adopted by Rome and subsequently the Christian church to give us angels. The Etruscan remains of Sovana and Pitigliano are 30 minutes away.

The area boasts numerous nature reserves and is great for walking and bird watching. The cool chestnut forests of Mont Amiata are a real treat at the height of summer.

Siena and other Tuscan classics such as Montepulciano and Pienza are an hour away. Day trips to Rome and Florence are possible.