our little corner of paradise

Even the name, when whispered quietly to yourself, summons up a feeling of warmth and cordiality. Our tiny town sits on the shore of the beautiful Tyrrhenian Sea in the part of Tuscany known locally as the Maremma, where the river Bruna empties its waters collected from the mountains around Massa Marittima, at the northern extremity of the Maremma’s fertile alluvial plain. The medieval town with its dwellings and castle stands atop a rocky outcrop from which you have a truly spectacular view of the Tuscan Archipelago with the islands of Elba at your right hand, Giglio straight ahead and Monte Argentario and the looming Maremma Nature Park to your left hand. On clear days the chalky slopes of Montecristo Island can be seen between and beyond Elba and Giglio, and perhaps even the distant mountains of Corsica.

Down below you the “new” town spreads itself around the lower slopes of the rock and you see the port from which a handful of small fishing boats leave most mornings, returning in the evening with their catch of fish and crustaceans, carrying on the centuries-old tradition of the people of Castiglione. Between you and the port are the buildings of the town; the Coastguard, the Guarda di Finanza, the charming hotels and guest houses, and all the small restaurants and bars where our visitors can find exquisite food and regional wines, in addition to cocktails and spritzes. Should you be a beach person, there is no better place to be, as our town prides itself on having a prize-winning beach that has been awarded “Le Bandiere Blu” for the past several years, demonstrating the municipality’s excellence in beach management and attention to water purity.

Moreover you will be delighted to find several bagni (beach bars) with their traditional colorful umbrellas and loungers for your comfort and enjoyment both in and out of the sunshine, whilst you keep an eye on the kids and lazily while away the daytime hours. To maintain your interest in the local food and drinks many of the bagni and bars in the town provide in the early evening what has become called “apericena”- a linking of aperitivo and cena (dinner), and it is not unknown for visitors to the town to visit several establishments to sample the different kinds of free food put out for those who buy an aperitivo at the bar. Taking an apericena at a street-side table offers great people-watching pleasure.

a bit of history

While Umbrians and Etruscans were the first inhabitants of our land, Castiglione della Pescaia was first recorded as Salebrone in Roman times. The hill close to the coast proved to be an exellent location, as it dominated also the big inland Prelius Lake, providing fish and salt.

In Medieval times the town suffered from pirate attacks and almost dissappered. It resurfaced in the 9th century under its current name, with protection of the Papacy and Pisa Repuplic. The Pisans used Castiglione as a key element in the defence system along Tyrrhenian coast. They built first a single tower on the top of the hill, later expanded that to three towers joined by a wall that became a nucleus of the citadel. The castle of Castiglione dominates the city seal to this day.

In the 13th century Castiglione became an indipendent comune. Meanwhile the river Ombrone had started silting up Lake Prile, which soon became a swamp, malaria mosquitoes took hold, weakening the population of the town. Castiglione requested protection fron various poker (Siena, the Medici, Aragon) and finally became part of the Grand Dukedom of Tuscany under the dynasty of Lorraine. The house of Loreeain starded a series of projects that enchanced the lives of Castiglionesi. But the fight for draining swamps to increase the amount of arable land and to kill malaria continued for the centuries.
After Tuscany became part of Italy in 1859, Castiglione became a comune in the province of Grosseto.