San Vincenzo: exploring the sea and the countryside throughout the four seasons
San Vincenzo – Monterotondo Marittimo – Sasso Pisano Km 48, min. 58
Via Suvereto
Excursion in the heart of the Val di Cecina among natural and archaeological-mining landscapes.
A new, exciting discovery tour in the fantastic world of geothermal energy and the mysterious legends of the Metalliferous Hills and Val di Cornia.
You will be able to admire the impressive geothermal manifestations of the Boracifero Lake in the Monterotondo Marittimo area, with boiling water, geysers, and bubbling springs in the evocative and unique atmosphere of the small hamlet where borax and boric acid have been produced since 1827.
A land of strong personality and popular legends that will take us back to the times of the Early Middle Ages, discovering the mysterious Castiglion Bernardi, the stage of the tragic story of Nencia, Gigliola and the cruel Count Pannocchieschi.
An engaging, fascinating and unique experience.
Sasso Pisano, a true journey to the centre of the earth. A region rich in traditions in the geothermal heart of Tuscany, fumaroles, bulicami, lagoni, sulfur springs, fumaroles,and small geysers are just some of the phenomena present in the area, set within a scenic route between Sasso Pisano and Monterotondo Marittimo, with views that stretch from the carbonate ridge of the Cornate di Gerfalco to the coast.
Did you know that at this time of year the whole area transforms into a veritable garden, enhanced by the flowering of the heather?
"It boiled and seethed as if within it rose the impulse and bubbling of the damned stuck in the sludge, as if at the bottom there stirred the perpetual struggle of the enraged..."
(G.D’Annunzio,"Perhaps yes, perhaps no",1910).
An itinerary that begins in the village of Sasso Pisano, nestled in the area of the Metalliferous Hills known as the Valley of the Devil from Dante's memory, a region already known in the times of the Etruscans and Romans and mentioned in the famous "Peutinger Map." We delve into the spectacular Park of the Fumaroles, a triumph of evocative landscapes characterised by phenomena such as the Soffioni (jet streams of steam), the Putizze (emissions containing hydrogen sulfide), the Lagoni (small pools of hot water fed by a small jet at the base), but also by lesser-known and smaller-scale phenomena like the Bulicami (emissions of bubbling mud) and the Mofete (fissures in the ground with water steam and volcanic gases).
You will be enchanted by these phenomena, a true journey from the "Etruscan Volaterna Waters" to the extraction of Boric Acid during the Middle Ages, from the Alum War between Florence and Volterra to the construction of the Geothermal Power Plants of the 1960s.
In the area of the Biancane Geothermal Park, you will admire these complex formations derived from a particular phenomenon of leaching of the Dinas.
Overlooking the town of Monterotondo Marittimo, the view is truly unforgettable, featuring the ridge of Poggio di Montieri and the Cornate of Gerfalco stretching all the way to Punta a Ala along the coast.
As you descend towards the Lagoni of Monterotondo, you will pass through the old washhouses used by the workers of ENEL before moving on to the Monterotondo Power Station and the Source of Acqua Forte.
To complete the journey, you'll return through the Circuit of the Biancane, where you will have the chance to appreciate an unusual and bizarre environment, before heading back towards Sasso Pisano and the Park of the Fumaroles.
