What does Maremma mean and why do Tuscans curse it?
Everyone in Tuscany is constantly referring to the Maremma using various kinds of expressions, from the simple and harmless exclamation ‘Maremma!’ to signify surprise or to reinforce a concept, to the more colourful ‘Maremma bona’, ‘Maremma troia’, ‘Maremma maiala’, ‘Maremma impestata’ or ‘Maremma bucaiola’.
Today, the Maremma stands out as one of the premier destinations across the globe, attracting tourists from every corner of the world, celebrated for its rich tapestry of history, vibrant culture, and, most importantly, breathtaking landscapes and natural beauty. However, this was not always the case. The unfortunate loss of independence and the resultant exploitation by the Sienese severely crippled the local economy and resulted in vast tracts of farmland being abandoned, leading to an inevitable expansion of marshy lands. From the 14th century onward, human presence in this region grew increasingly unstable, as it also had to face the dire challenges posed by the devastating impacts of malaria and widespread poverty, which remained defining characteristics of the Maremma for numerous centuries.
The eighteenth century saw the beginning of the human struggle against the vast coastal marshes and swamps, rivers without banks that flooded the land thickly covered with thickets and Mediterranean scrub. Meanwhile, malaria continued to claim victims at a rapid pace, including Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Lorraine himself, who contracted the disease while visiting the Maremma and died in 1824.
Adding to its depopulation was the poor fertility of the land, which allowed only a very small production of grain, and, as if that were not enough, another biblical scourge occurred in the first decades of the 18th century, as the region was periodically invaded by locusts. Chroniclers of the time note that in June 1711 an immense cloud of locusts appeared from the sea, obscuring the sun and rapidly covering the entire countryside around Piombino. In the following years the locust invasions continued (until 1786) extending to new countryside and destroying over 70 miles of cultivated land.
The Tuscan imprecations thus refer to the Maremma of long ago, yet today this beautiful land still remains fiercely wild, and for this reason even more fascinating.
