MAREMMA REGIONAL NATURE PARK
The Maremma Regional Nature Park is over 10,000 hectares large and extends along the Tyrrhenian coast from Principina a Mare to Talamone, while to the east it reaches as far as the Aurelia state road.
The central and southern part of the park is occupied by the Monti dell’Uccellina, whose highest point is Poggio dei Lecci (451 metres above sea level). From these hills, the entire Tyrrhenian coast and the Tyrrhenian Sea with the islands of Giglio, Elba and Corsica can be admired, offering a truly unsurpassable panorama; the view of the Ombrone River when it flows into the sea is very beautiful and characteristic, and its dark-coloured waters gradually mingle with the green waters of the sea.
To access the park, the only way is to go to the Alberese Visitor Centre (telephone +39 0564 407098 fax +39 0675 407292) to take advantage of the bus service: here every hour, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. inclusive, you are taken inside the park to the ‘Pratini’ locality where the various itineraries begin: it is possible to encounter wild boar along the internal road.
The park’s fauna consists of various species: wild boar and fallow deer predominate, but there are also roe deer, porcupines, badgers, foxes, wild cats, beech martens and weasels, as well as a rich birdlife. As far as flora is concerned, this is undoubtedly the realm of the Mediterranean scrub with holm oaks, oaks, strawberry trees, broom, thyme, sea rockrose and rosemary, and another plant present is the cork oak.