Campiglia Marittima

THE CECCHINO TREE

There once was an old man. He was not a traveler since his roots kept him from wandering. He had no eyes, but he was witness to the life that unfolded around him. He had no voice, but from the foot of the fortress wall the story of his Campiglia; the history his people, softly resounded. In the years of his youth, the old man had witnessed the birth of the wild orchids on the meadows of Mount Calvi, where they arose from the innocent blood of the beautiful Ubertenga, slain by the Saracen pirates. And, the old man had felt the vibrant blooms of the wild iris where the Etruscans carved out mines and forged metal.

As he matured, he learned to recognize the warm, sugary aroma of the Schiaccia Campigliese that wafts from the cobblestone alleys of the village and drifts past the Parco Archeominerario, the Palazzo Pretorio, and the mystical Sator square on the church wall; a sweet melody that still beckons today and descends to the valley along with the hot springs that supply the thermal baths in Venturina, and continues to the west, until it fades away over the endless islands and promontories. There once was an old man. He was the guardian of history and the bard of legends and folklore, and one day he left his post to a young heir to become a monument of art. That old man was an ancient elm; the Cecchino tree.

ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TOWNS OF THE ETRUSCAN COAST

Situated on the summit of a hill, Campiglia commands the countryside and the sea. The village is an ancient medieval castle which is accessed through three gates in the city walls; and is crossed by narrow streets and a succession of houses, shops, inns, and buildings that speak of political and military power, and that of the religious and cultural. But it is enough just to look through the mullioned windows of the Rocca (fortress) to discover a fascination for the allure and charm of a diff erent time. Another Rocca is that of San Silvestro, an ancient mining village founded in the Middle Ages for the exploitation of copper, lead, and silver deposits that has been carried out in the area since the time of the Etruscans.

Now it is an archaeological museum park with open-air paths and old mines, as in that of the Temperino. On board a train you can travel the entire route that was once taken by the extracted mineral. A place where the ancient marries with the modernity of an industrious town is Venturina. Here you will fi nd the thermal baths of the Caldana which were known by the Etruscans and the Romans who called them “Aquae Populoniae”. These waters have a therapeutic action and are known for bringing wellness and aesthetics to the body. At the Calidario, a natural thermal lake allows you to immerse yourself all year ‘round.

TOURIST OFFICE

CAMPIGLIA M.MA

c/o Civic Center Mannelli Via Buozzi

tel. +39 0565.837201

ufficioturismocampiglia@parchivaldicornia.it;

campiglia marittima@costadeglietruschi.eu

Department of Culture c/o Biblioteca Comunale

Venturina Terme

tel. +39 0565.839334