The countryside of northern Maremma by bike

The route takes us through the villages of northern Maremma, crossing those countryside areas that have made Tuscany famous. We start from the Parco Centrale of Follonica, where parking is easy to find. We leave town in the direction of Casone, an industrial area that the route passes to tackle the modest climbs that let us reach Filare di Gavorrano, a village which, until not too long ago, was inhabited by the miners of the Gavorrano pyrite mine. Once past the Vecchia Aurelia road, we enter roads with little traffic at all times toward Lago dell'Accesa. We recommend a stop and, in summer, a refreshing swim. The lake, a deep pool of crystal-clear water, is surrounded by lush vegetation and the remains of an ancient Etruscan village of which only the foundations remain visible.

Past the lake the road climbs, and we are in the area of the 18th-century copper mines of Serrabottini, of which the shafts and dumps remain, where it is easy to find some fine ore. With a fine route we thus reach the village of Valpiana, home of ancient foundries and ironworks, still visible in the town center. Once past the bridge we keep right, then after a few hundred meters on the left begins a beautiful road with continuous ups and downs through the Maremma countryside. Farms, small vineyards, cereals fields, forest and the ever-present cypresses make for continuous stops for the customary photos.

Joining the Massetana provincial road brings us back into traffic, but by now there are only a few kilometers left to finish the route at the Parco Centrale of Follonica.