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Art Cities >> GROSSETO
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Grosseto, an important agricultural and industrial centre,
is the main town in the Maremma, which features beautiful natural
sites both in the mountain and along the coastline. The history
of this region is characterised by flourishing periods and declines,
due to the depopulation of the marshy districts infested by
malaria.
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Discovering the Cities |
| Churches and palaces |
| Visiting the museums |
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 SOME
HISTORY....
The plain land where Grosseto today
lies was originally covered with water and was later transformed
into a big lake basin. The swampy nature of the territory has
determined the history of the Cities, which was first an Etruscan
and then a Roman settlement, which the archaeological sites
on the hills testify. During the Early Middle Ages, Grosseto
was one of the many feuds of the important Aldobrandeschi family
and thanks to the presence of salt deposits, Grosseto experienced
a period of great prosperity. Around 1240, the emperor Fredric
II occupied the Cities and gave it a new strategic and political
importance. In
1337 Grosseto surrendered to Siena which had never stopped its
expansionistic policies and took advantage of the destabilisation
in the region due to the Barbarian incursions. The 14th century
was a bad century for Grosseto as it turned into a malaria infested
marsh after a flood. In 1348 the situation became even more
critical due to a pest epidemic. In the 16th century, Grosseto
became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, after the Florentines
had defeated Siena. The Medici family began to restore and to
transform the Cities, fortifying the walls and carried out actions
to encourage people to move out to the countryside. The work
of the Medici family continued and was intensified by their
successors, the Lorena family. The 11th of March 1860, Grosseto
said yes to be part of the Kingdom of Italy. During
the fascism the reclamation was once again intensified, but
the malaria was eradicated only in 1944, when the Americans
introduced the use of the DDT, a potent chemical insecticide
able to eradicate the mortal mosquito. |
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