Day 1 — Between Etruscan treasures and a Maremma getaway
Ciao, it's Tosco! Ready for me to tell you about my first day of adventure? I started with the National Museum of Tarquinia. Oh my, what a shock! The Palazzo Vitelleschi is already magnificent, but the winged horses in terracotta... believe me, they took my breath away! I spent hours admiring the jewelry, the sarcophagi, the Attic ceramics, the bronzes... 700 years of Etruscan history, it makes you dizzy. Two short hours there and you understand everything you need to know about this fascinating people. It's the ideal starting point, really!
After this immersion, off to the Vulci Archaeological Park. You know, it's the great forgotten one, the Etruscan site nobody talks about, and that's a real shame! I went down the Fiora canyon, and bam, the Etruscan-Roman Devil's Bridge, suspended 25 meters above the river! A marvel! Then, 120 hectares of excavations, the Osteria necropolises with their frescoes, the Abbadia castle-museum... and almost nobody in sight! Five little euros for such richness, it's incredible. I even caught a glimpse of Lake Pellicone, wild and mysterious. Vulci is a secret I'm happy to share with you.
To end this day full of discoveries, I headed to the'Agriturismo Casette del Forno in Pescia Romana. It's the secret of the Maremma, a place where time truly slows down. The song of the cicadas, the air scented with warm earth... a promise of serenity and total immersion. I felt at the heart of the Lazio Maremma, in this authentic countryside, far from everything. A true haven of peace for my little snout, tired but filled with incredible images!
Day 2 — Between forgotten gems and Tarot madness
Today, I set my course for Tuscania, and believe me, it's a gem! I settled on the acropolis, where San Pietro and Santa Maria Maggiore keep watch, built on the ancient Etruscan city. The crypt with its 28 reused ancient columns, and then those medieval frescoes of the Last Judgment... It's a village off the beaten path, a true secret between Maremma and Viterbo. I almost spent the whole day poking around, history whispers from every corner!
But the call of the colors was too strong! Off to Capalbio for the Tarot Garden. And there, what an enchantment! Niki de Saint Phalle, she created a dreamlike world, where art and nature embrace in an explosion of shapes and colors. I frolicked among the monumental sculptures, light-hearted, and I told myself that this was it, the true magic of the Maremma. You see, this artistic immersion was just the perfect prelude before the day's finishing touch.
Because in the evening, in Capalbio again, time for the twilight hike. The sun was setting, draping the hills in golden light... I walked this 5-kilometer trail, the scents of the scrubland, the centuries-old olive trees. The guide told legends of bandits, anecdotes about the Maremma. And the view of Capalbio at dusk, magnified by the evening lights... a reward before the rural aperitif. A magical end to the day, don't you think?
Going from the Etruscan mysteries of Vulci to the psychedelic mirrors of Niki de Saint Phalle at the Tarot Garden is the perfect split to see the Maremma in all its facets!
— Tosco, Piazza Cavour 1a
🐗
