History | Grosseto | Terre degli Uffizi

The city’s historic centre is enclosed within the old Medici walls, which have maintained their original aspect down the centuries. Within the walls, visitors should not miss Piazza Duomo and Piazza Dante with the white and pink marble façade of the 12th century Cathedral of San Lorenzo, the city’s most important monument. The walls also enclose the Sienese Keep, the city’s main fortress, built at the time of the Republic of Siena.

To explore the secrets of a city as rich in history as Grosseto, a visit to its museums is a must. In the Maam, the Museo archeologico e d’arte della Maremma, visitors can discover a past that stretches from prehistory to the birth of the Etruscan cities, the Roman conquest, the Middle Ages and the modern era, thanks to a selection of archaeological artefacts and works of art. Next door to the Maam, the Le Clarisse cultural cluster houses the Museo Collezione Gianfranco Luzzetti, the Clarisse Arte exhibition hall used for temporary exhibitions and the MuseoLab run by the Fondazione Polo Universitario Grossetano, founded in the wake of an urban archaeology campaign in the city from 1998 to 2003, which houses original finds and large graphic reconstructions telling the story of the city. Strada Corsini hosts the Museo di storia naturale della Maremma, opened in 2009, illustrating the region’s natural history with finds, rocks, minerals and environmental reconstructions, while at the same time fulfilling the role of national and international focal point for Citizen Science, a programme for the active involvement of citizens in scientific research. The Biblioteca Comunale Chelliana, directed in the 1950s by Luciano Bianciardi, is another precious part of the city’s historical and cultural heritage. It has recently returned to its historic seat in Palazzo Mensini, in the historic centre, in the wake of a major (and still ongoing) renovation campaign. Nor should visitors miss the Giardino Archaeologico in the historic centre, an outdoor museum and archaeological garden housing numerous stone finds that once stood in the city walls alongside exhibits testifying to farming in the region, or the city’s theatres: the Teatro degli Industri and the Teatro Moderno.