Suvereto

A very important town in Maremma is Suvereto, in the province of Livorno, acknowledged as one of the towns of the club I Borghi più Belli d’Italia (Italy’s most Beautiful Hamlets). The town is in Val di Cornia, tucked away in the hills and looking over the sea of Costa degli Etruschi. The hamlet is also famous as the town of crafts, thanks to its tight link with handicraft.

Its present look is typically medieval and there are numerous places to be discovered whilst walking along its narrow streets. The name Suvereto itself is very peculiar, deriving from the Italian word for cork sughero, an homage to the cork tree groves that surround it.

Thanks to its thriving countryside the municipality of Suvereto also boasts the presence of several renown farms that produce high quality olive oils and wines, the latter being good enough to gain the DOCG label. It is actually across these green hills that the so called “Costa degli Etruschi Wine Trail” passes through, an itinerary that leads visitors to the places where this amazing wine acquires all its distinguishing notes.

TO SEE

The most visited attraction in town is the cloister of the convent of San Francesco, a church deconsecrated as disposed by Napoleon in 1808 and now used as a venue for historical re-enactments. In the immediate surroundings there is also the church of the Crucifix, built in the 1500s in order to store the relics of the town’s patron saint. Another place of Suvereto that must be visited is the Rocca Aldobrandesca, a fortress erected in the 1200s on the highest part of town. For those who love wine and design we recommend a visit to Cantina Petra, at San Lorenzo Alto, signed by the famous architect Mario Botta.