2 Most Picturesque Towns in Tuscany

written by Tiana Kai
Ape in Montemerano Tuscany

Day 4 of my Best of Tuscany tour in Rocchette di Fazio and Montemerano

Enter the most cliche words in the English vocabulary: quaint, charming and yes, even picturesque. It’s hard NOT to use these overused words when trying to express the beautiful towns of Rocchette di Fazio and Montemerano in Maremma.

The Quaint Rocchette di Fazio

After a full day and night in Pitigliano, it was time to visit the most precious towns in Tuscany. If you google quaint you would see a picture of Rocchette di Fazio pop up. Seriously.

I’ve never heard of this town and even kept spelling it incorrectly until an hour ago. Thanks to Rita, owner of Agriturismo Cassetta di Tartuchino, we drove up to the top of this town village of 19 inhabitants. Actually, that census is from 2001, so there may only be 7 people left.

Fabrizio of Villa Acquaviva and Annalisa met up with us to check out the sites. There’s a sweet little piazza where you can practically see the whole village as it’s the highest point over the limestone cliff. Besides the few nonni who still live there, the main sights are Pieve di Santa Cristina of the Knights Templar, Palazzo del Pretorio town hall, and the Ospedaletto di San Giovanni that was a refuge right outside the walls for travelers and pilgrims.

I met Aldemiro, the oldest man in town. He recounted the days when he begged the older kids to let him help build the roads. Even though he was too young to work, an older boy let Aldemiro work in his place and shared the pay with him. I can’t imagine what kind of stories he may have, especially from WWII since Rocchette di Fazio was used as a look-out point.

Rocchette di Fazio view over Maremma

Rocchette di Fazio House

Nonno in Italy

Aldemiro sharing some childhood memories.

Tuscan town of Rocchette di Fazio

Road trip in Maremma

Rocchette di Fazio balcony over Maremma

Rocchette di Fazio streets

Maremma Village Rocchette di Fazio

The Oh So Charming Montemerano

I have no words. Zero. This place is preciously beautiful, so if I try too hard to explain it I might as well just vomit the whole thesaurus.

Rita drove me up here after passing through Manciano, a quick 6 kilometer skip away from where I was staying for the next few nights at B&B Locanda Il Poderino.

Montemerano has everything you would expect from Tuscany. Old. Small. Laundry. Vines. My goodness, I’ve never seen so many vines and flowers in one square meter before.

The main attractions beside the Instagramable houses are: Pieve di San Lorenzo is the oldest building from the 12th Century and was once a church with a baptistry, the church of San Giorgio and Madonna del Cavalluzzo, and the most fascinating attractions for me were the walls of Montemerano.

You can live in the 700 year old walls! Don’t think that only rodents live in walls, think expensive apartments that are probably as small as the smallest studio in New York City and then even smaller.

Wild flowers in Tuscany Montemerano

Nonno in Montemerano Tuscany

Laundry in Maremma Montemerano

Travel to Maremma Montemerano

Nonni in Italy

Nonni doing their thing.

House in Maremma, Montemerano

Visit Montemerano Maremma

After a full day of trekking through these towns we had time to visit the historical center of Manciano and have one hell of a dinner before day 5 in Maremma.

Was I right? Were these not the most quintessential Tuscan towns you’ve ever seen?

Share this post and pin those pics! 

You may also like

17 comments

Visit Montemerano and Rocchetto di Fazio in Tus... August 29, 2014 at 12:33 am

[…] Enchanting Montemerano and Rocchette di Fazio in Maremma, Tuscany will take your breath away! Photo essay and tips on what to see and where to stay in Maremma.  […]

Reply
I need a thesaurus | Get Stuff Done August 29, 2014 at 12:45 am

[…] I am out of words for these two villages in Maremma, Tuscany http://tianakai.com/2014/08/picturesque-towns-rocchette-di-fazio-and-montemerano-tuscany […]

Reply
Kenny Kim August 29, 2014 at 10:19 am

Love the photos Tiana! Haven’t been to these towns yet but they sure look beautiful!

Reply
Tiana Kai August 29, 2014 at 12:33 pm

Oh Kenny, you would be in heaven. Every corner looks like a fake movie set, it’s crazy!

Reply
Fabrizio D'Ascenzi August 29, 2014 at 11:33 am

love love love! <3

Reply
Tiana Kai August 29, 2014 at 12:33 pm

Thank you so much, you know how much I love Montemerano! It was so fun of you to join us at Rocchette, I hope to do it again soon.

Reply
Fabrizio D'Ascenzi August 29, 2014 at 1:53 pm

yes I know! Remember that every time you would come back I’ll be your personal Cicerone! ^_^

Reply
Tiana Kai August 29, 2014 at 3:24 pm

DEAL!

Reply
Becky Padmore August 29, 2014 at 4:00 pm

Beautiful! I also have a soft spot for Siena 🙂

Reply
Tiana Kai August 29, 2014 at 5:42 pm

I love Siena, I really need to go back and spend more than a full day there. So much to see!

Reply
BrowsingItaly August 30, 2014 at 7:34 pm

Too gorgeous! Taking notes and looks like an extremely well-kept town. Love places like these that looks like you have stepped back in time.

Reply
Tiana Kai August 30, 2014 at 8:52 pm

Completely back in time, it took my breath away!

Reply
ferruccio August 30, 2014 at 9:17 pm

I use to live there in Rocchette di fazio, we are actually sealing one of the houses there, the 6th picture, that is one of the part of the house

Reply
Tiana Kai August 30, 2014 at 10:59 pm

What a small world! Yes, I saw the Vendita sign on it! What a beautiful area.

Reply
obserwatore. eu October 14, 2014 at 8:50 am

Yes, it’s true – completely back in time! Nice!:)

Reply
Tiana Kai October 15, 2014 at 5:12 pm

Thank you, yes it’s such a dreamy place to explore!

Reply
6 Things To Love About Tuscany March 25, 2015 at 7:28 pm

[…] incredible region with everything from mountains to the Riviera and from the southern wild parts of Maremma to the northern marble quarries of Carrara. Don’t forget about Tuscany’s seven […]

Reply

Leave a Comment