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Massa
Marittima
70km
(43 miles) S of Volterra; 65km (40
miles) SW of Siena; 115km (71
miles) SW of Florence; 230km (143
miles) NW of Rome.
Massa Maritima is built on top of a
thousand two hundred foot
mountain, with fertile farmlands
below it, and a range of hills
beyond. It was once a medieval
Etruscan mining town. The bishop
of Saint Cerbone established his
headquarters here in the ninth
century and Massa prospered under
him, mainly because it was allowed
to dig up the wealth in the mines
surrounding the town. This
prosperity of course brought them
to the notice of their neighbours,
the Sienese.
In 1335, Siena conquered Massa Marittama. They took the upper
half of town and fortifyied
calling it
their Città Nuova (New
Town). In its halcyon days, the
city produced both religious
heritage in St. Bernardine of
Siena who was born and died here,
and civic legacy as the first
mining code in European history
was drawn up here in the 14th
century AD. This was one of the
most important pieces of
legislation to come out of
the Middle Ages.
Massa Marittima has much to offer the tourist by way of
scenic and architectural beauty,
as it is an attractive Tuscan hill
town. But other than the Germans
who come every summer, Massa and
its stunning cathedral are mostly
side-lined by the modern tourist
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