Archeology and Tourism

Archeotrekking with Coopera Archeology and Tourism

Archeology, History, Art, Nature and Traditions are the main ingredients of Coopera’s mission.
Archaeologists, Environmental and Tourist Guides, together to get to know and rediscover the Maremma as you’ve never seen it before.

I. Archeotrekking in Roselle. The Etruscan-Roman city.

The archeotrekking of the Roselle Archaeological Area will take us on the steps of the ancient Etruscan and Roman inhabitants. We will travel along the ancient decumano until you get to the heart of the ancient city, in the Foro, where the oldest traces of the Etruscan settlement are preserved. We will then see how we lived in the luxurious Roman domus, entering the Domus of the mosaics, with its private baths and its mosaics. A small walk to the north hill will take us to the public baths, which became the first cathedral of Roselle. Finally, we will be amazed at the marvelous acoustics of the Roman Amphitheater and after having visited an Etruscan house of the VI century B.C., we will skirt the ancient city walls.

II. Vetulonia, the ancient city of metals.

Visit of the Via dei Sepolcri, the Excavations of the City and the Museo Civico Isidoro Falchi.
Vetulonia was one of the richest and most refined cities of Etruscan culture. Thanks to the control of the mining basin of the Metalliferous Hills, its founders became among the most capable metallurgists of the time and in particular experts and renowned connoisseurs of the goldsmith’s production, of which many examples are exhibited in the local Museum.
“The Isidoro Falchi Civic Museum is divided into seven rooms that tell the story of the city and the territory from its origins, in the Villanovan period (9th-8th century B.C.) up to the Hellenistic and Roman period with finds from Costa Murata and Poggiarello Renzetti (among which we highlight the architectural terracottas that decorated the portico of the so-called ‘Casa di Medea’) as well as funeral objects and votive stipe of the period.”

III. The Romans conquer Etruria: the colony of Cosa.

The ancient colony of Cosa testifies with its monumental and panoramic remains the victory of Rome over Etruria. The Romanization of this territory is told in every single stone of the turreted walls, in the monumental remains of the Arx, in the Foro square, in its residential quarters, in the traces left by the thriving port below and by the imposing drainage works with fabulous names “Spacco della Regina” and “Tagliata Etrusca”. A walk through history and nature, in the shade of olive trees and Mediterranean scrub, to rediscover a small but important city in the history of Etruria.

IV. Grosseto in the Middle Ages. From village to city.

Walking tour del centro storico che tocca le principali emergenze monumentali relative al Medioevo grossetano (Porta Vecchia, Piazza del Sale, Cassero senese, San Francesco, San Pietro, Duomo, Piazza della Palma, Via Aldobrandeschi).

MAAM Archaeological and Art Museum of the Maremma and the Museolab City of Grosseto. This route also links the re-discovery of the places that were excavated by the University of Siena during the long urban excavation campaigns, highlighting important emergencies that are no longer visible today. A sort of visit to discover the “invisible” origins of Grosseto. Possibility of visiting the MAAM Archaeological and Art Museum of the Maremma and the Museolab City of Grosseto.

V. Tarquinia and its painted tombs.

Visit to the Necropolis of Monterozzi; in 2004 it was declared by UNESCO “World Heritage Site” for the presence of an exceptional monumental cycle of painted tombs, defined as “the first page of the great Italian painting”. It’s the largest of the cemeteries of the ancient Etruscan city of Tarquinia, whose painted tombs, adorned with figurative scenes including hunters, fishermen, players, dancers, jugglers, athletes, represent the wealth and the power of the dead for whom they were executed.
Possibility of a visit to the Tarquiniense National Archaeological Museum and / or the medieval old town, the ancient Corneto mentioned by Dante as the southern limit of the 14th century Maremma.

VI. San Gimignano. Archeotour in the Middle Ages.

Visiting San Gimignano is an enchanted journey in the Middle Ages. Its image, between the Siena countryside and the sky of Tuscany, with its ancient and still proud towers fills the visitor’s heart and enchants him forever. Visit the historical center, with the possibility of access to the Collegiata, that preserves the wonderful cycles of fourteenth-century frescoes with the stories of the New Testament and the Old Testament, enchanting examples of medieval art.

VII. Niki de Saint Phalle e il Giardino dei Tarocchi Giardino dei Tarocchi

The Giardino dei Tarocchi is an incredible and esoteric park created by Niki de Saint Phalle in the Maremma countryside and completely inspired by the Tarot cards. The realization of the Garden began in 1979 and ended in 2002 with the artist’s death. In this long journey Niki de Saint Phalle, flanked by famous names of international contemporary art and local specialized workers, created twenty-two monumental sculptures inspired by the major arcana. Some large enough to be habitable, the statues allow the tourist to get lost inside them, to be amazed by the infinite materials, details, colors that decorate them and to move away from the real world in a dreamlike journey, incredibly rich in suggestions.

VIII. Massa Marittima and the Maremma between medieval and contemporary architecture.

Heart of the Metalliferous Hills, Massa Marittima is the treasure chest of architecture and medieval art in Maremma, guarded for example among the alleys of the Old City, precious setting that opens on the splendid cathedral of San Cerbone, a wonderful example of Tuscan Romanesque and Gothic . The morning will be dedicated to the visit of the historic center, with the precious Cathedral of San Cerbone, the municipal buildings, the “Siena” walls, the district of Città Nova. Possibility of visiting the Museum of Sacred Art, housed in the beautiful complex of San Pietro all’Orto, in Città Nova. Among the splendid colors of the “Siena” school and its elegant figures we can admire some splendid fourteenth and fifteenth century paintings, including the marvelous “Maestà” by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, painted between 1335 and 1337 for the community In Massa Marittima.

IX. The Spaniards in Maremma: the forts of the Argentario and Orbetello.

A fascinating journey through the ancient State of the Presidi, a Spanish outpost in the heart of Maremma, which will begin with the visit of Porto Ercole, protected by monumental 16th and 17th century fortresses. The visit of Forte Stella, a unique military architecture, with its star-shaped plan, will take us to one of the most fascinating and panoramic sites of the Argentario promontory. Moving to Porto Santo Stefano, on the south side of the promontory, will be dedicated to the visit of the Spanish Fortress and its permanent exhibitions. The archaeological exhibition of the “Memorie Sommerse” will offer us a dive into the past, telling us the history of the naval trades in our seas from the VI century B,C. to the III century A.D.
(N.B. The visit inside the fortresses is possible only in some periods of the year)
The journey on the trail of the Spaniards will continue by visiting the characteristic village of Orbetello, whose Etruscan walls and houses seem to float on the calm waters of the homonymous lagoon.

X. Archeominerary Park of Rocca San Silvestro Trekking in the Archaeological Mining Park of San Silvestro.

Trekking in the Archaeological Mining Park of San Silvestro. The tour routes wind through museums, mining tunnels, a medieval village of miners and founders built about a thousand years ago, and paths of historical, archaeological, geological and naturalistic interest. The visit to the castle of Rocca San Silvestro, entirely excavated and among the sites that saw the birth of Medieval Archeology in Italy, will be made unique not only by the wonderful landscape of the Park and the beauty of the site, but also by the opportunity to visit closely a real medieval building site, rebuilt with the contribution of experimental archeology.

XI. Regional Natural Park of the Maremma. San Rabano.

Trekking in the wonderful environment of the Maremma Natural Park, to discover the benedictine abbey of San Rabano, set like a precious jewel in the heart of the “Uccellina” hills. Among the most beautiful examples of the Roman Maremma, it has always been a place that enchants those who visit it, suspended among nature, archeology, history, and legend. Possibility of panoramic view on the sea side of the hills, with a splendid view of Cala di Forno and the Collelungo beach.
(N.B. The trip can be carried out autonomously only in certain periods of the year, with the exception of the summer when you can enter the Park only with guided tours and environmental guides from the Park itself)

Texts by Coopera Archeologia e Turismo
For info and costs: info@coop-era.it +39 333 8412818
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