Massa Marittima
Like Volterra, MASSA MARITTIMA was already a wealthy mining town in Roman and Etruscan times. W 1225 r. the first charter of miners' rights was introduced here and a radical policy is practiced to this day - the local communist city council is an important link in the Italian red chain. Maritime (marine) is not an apt name, for a long time has passed, ever since the waves washed over the city walls and now the seashore is there 19 km away, beyond the slime-covered plain.
The rumble of the waves would make the city's location much more interesting. Thus, the road bypasses a small industrial sector, then Massa Marittima emerges from the humps of the hills. New apartment blocks take a little bit of the medieval character of the city, yet tourism plays no less of a role in the local economy than mining. There are menus in English at every turn, and real estate traders bargain fluently in German. There may be less here, than you'd expect from flashy advertising, but Piazza Garibaldi and the cathedral will certainly reward the effort of coming to the city.
Old Town
The Old Town is divided into two parts. Lower, okolone murami Old Town, it is mainly Romanesque and most of the attractions are concentrated here. The Gothic Citta Nuova above is also quite old despite its name, but there is less to explore there, because it was built as a primarily residential district. Extremely steep, but a picturesque road, via Moncini, connects both parts of the Old Town. Throughout the Middle Ages, the lower town was inhabited by the Todini squeals, and the top by their Sienese rivals, Pannoschieschich. W XVI w. the city was taken over by the Florentines.
Most of the most important medieval monuments are in Piazza Garibaldi, little, a quirky and perfect example of Tuscan town planning in the heart of Citta Vecchia. The cathedral is the pearl in the crown (1228-1304). Stairs lead to it, arranged at a dramatically sharp angle to the square, and the porticoes, the tiny columns and blind arcades of the building make up a highly individual Romanesque whole. The neighboring campanile has an equally unique character, with the number of windows doubling to the top in mathematical progress. The cathedral is under the extraordinary dedication of the 6th-century saint Cerbone; he was made famous by the fact, that when he was summoned to Rome on charges of heresy, convinced a flock of geese, to follow him.
The external eminence of the cathedral corresponds to the spaciousness of the interior. It's worth staying there longer; few monuments in the city can match the simple stone charm of the church, as well as a handful of his treasures. Pay particular attention to the 11th-century carvings on the keystones: laughing, cross-eyed faces have the expressive power of primitive art, almost pagan, and are in sharp contrast to the raw, a smooth to shine Roman sarcophagus (on the right). It is also worth having a look at the Madonna delle Grazie at the end of the left transept, damaged, but great Sienese work attributed to Ducci or Simone Matini.
Works of art can also be admired in the Palazzo del Podesta, the smaller of the two palaces on the square (2500 L, tickets at the tourist office in front of the cathedral). The ticket price is exorbitant, but in return you can watch an undeniable masterpiece, Maesta Ambrogia Lorenzettiego, considered his best job; in the right corner is San Cerbone and its geese.
Due to its mining tradition, the city is, of course, also large - and impressive, if anyone is interested in these matters - Minier Museo (wt. -nd. : IV-IX 10-00-12.30 i 15.30-19.00; X-III 9.00-13.00 i 15.00-17.00), five minutes from Piazza Garibaldi on via Corridoni. As befits such a facility, was situated underground, but not in the mine, only in the old air raid shelter, and boasts 700 meters of corridors, with a chronological exhibition of mining techniques and equipment used in the area. A visit to the museum can be combined with a visit to the Museo di Arte e Storia delle Miniere, located in Piazza Matteotti in Citta Nuova with a small collection of fossils and archival photographs from local history.
Practical details
Getting to Massa is not a problem. There are three or four buses a day from Volterra (change in Monterotondo), from Florence and Siena two, and the shuttle bus leaves to meet the trains of the main line Pisa-Rome at Massa-Follonica station (19 km; 40 Min; tickets at the bar at the station). On departure, you can buy tickets and get timetables for long-distance buses at the very helpful Agenzia Massa Yeterensis in Piazza Garibaldi 18 (0566/902062). Buses to the train station, to Piombino and other local towns they depart and arrive in Piazza XXIV Marżo in the upper town. W AST, opposite the Azienda, you can get a free city map.
Given the popularity of Massa, there are surprisingly few beds here. The only centrally located Hotel Cris, via Roma 9-10 (0566/903830), has doubles of approx 35000 L. Two other hotels in town, dwugwiazdkowy Duke of the Sea (0566/902284) i Girifalco (0566/902177) they are down on Via Massetana, deuce from 42000 L. The only cheap alternative to Cris is Pension Massa Yecchia (0566/90885), at Massa Vecchia 1. The nearest campsites are on the coast near the modern town of FOLLONICA: Tahiti (0566/60255; Open 15 V-30 IX) in Prato Ranieri and in Pineta del Golfo (53369; 1 VI-30 IX) w Levante pine forest; both have one star.
You can choose to dine in restaurants geared to rip-off tourists only in desperation; if you want a bite to eat in the square, the most important bar is under the arcades on the corner of via Moncini. From other venues in the Old Town is Trattoria Roma, quite expensive, but with good cuisine and the strange local rosé wine from Monte Reggio. Straight, you can eat cheap pizza at the table outside at Pizzeria la Torre on Piazza Matteotti in Citta Nuova; for a snack you can go to the sensible pizza tagla in via Moncini 44.