Talamone/Fonteblanda

Foto di Luciano Salavatore

Talamone (fraction of the Municipality of Orbetello from which it is about twenty-four kilometers away), is a picturesque fishing village perched on a rocky promontory that dominates the bay of the homonymous gulf and from which you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the coast and islands. Near Talamone is the southernmost entrance to the Maremma Regional Park (itineraries T1 / T2 / T3).

MUST SEE

– The Walls, built during the 13th century by the Aldobrandeschi, have undergone various renovations: the first in 1465, then in 1541 due to the considerable damage suffered by a pirate raid and again, between 1500 and 1600 by Spaniards (who also took care of the strengthening). Serious damage was subsequently caused by the bombings of 1944, which was followed by a new restructuring after the war. The last restoration was carried out in 2012. Of the ancient access gates to the village today only Porta Garibaldi remains.

Rocca Aldobrandesca

– Rocca Aldobrandesca, a medieval fortification built in the mid-thirteenth century by the will of the Aldobrandeschi, it served as a sighting and defense function on the port below. In modern times the fortress was the meeting point for the volunteers who embarked from Talamone for the Expedition of the Thousand following the temporary landing of Giuseppe Garibaldi.

– Church of Santa Maria Assunta, built in 1374 on a cult building from the 5th century BC. and significantly changed during the seventeenth century with the addition of the two side naves. Inside we find two frescoes of the fifteenth century: one portrays the Madonna of Constantinople and the other, from the Sienese school, the Madonna and Child between St. Peter and St. Paul.

– Aquarium of the Lagoon, created in order to raise awareness of the importance of the Orbetello lagoon: a unique example of an ecosystem where marine and freshwater fish live together. There are numerous species of fish from the Orbetello lagoon present inside the tanks and panels that explain, based on the depth, salinity and temperature of the waters, the flora and fauna present in the lagoon. In the same room there is a space dedicated to the ancient crafts of the local population, where old photos, panels and traditional tools related to the various types of fishing are exhibited. There is also the Tartanet Sea Turtle project for the protection of the Caretta Caretta turtles that touch our shores: it is a center equipped with a small operating room and machinery capable of helping injured species to be reintroduced into their natural habitat: the sea (temporarily closed).

– Church of the Madonna delle Grazie, located just outside the town, was built during the seventeenth century as a rural chapel to allow travelers who reached Talamone to stop for prayer.

– Torre di Talamonaccio, built in medieval times as a lookout tower along the coastal stretch south of Talamone, at the time when the territory was still under the control of the Aldobrandeschi; in the second half of the sixteenth century it passed to the Republic of Siena and then to the Spaniards who, after having carried out renovations to expand and fortify it further, incorporated it into the coastal defensive system of the State of the Presidi, in order to communicate, through visual signals, with the Rocca of Talamone and with the Forte delle Saline of Albinia. In the first half of the nineteenth century the structure was slowly abandoned following the annexation of the entire territory to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, until, in the following decades, it was transformed into a private residence.

– Mausoleo Vivarelli, funerary construction located in the cemetery of Talamone and commissioned by the knight Jader Vivarelli, a well-known character from Talamone who committed himself to the reclamation operations. The mausoleum was designed by the architect Lorenzo Porciatti together with the same client and was built between 1905 and 1906 (Vivarelli died unexpectedly in 1904 but had time to agree on its construction and furnishings). The building suffered extensive damage due to an explosion of explosive charges that occurred in the surroundings.

– Torre di Capo d’Uomo, coastal tower built in the second half of the sixteenth century in the place where another fortification previously stood. The tower performed important sighting functions along the northernmost coastal stretch of the Presidi State. In the eighteenth century some restoration interventions were carried out which however did not change its original appearance. In the first half of the nineteenth century, following the annexation of the entire area to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, it was abandoned; the subsequent degradation ended with the restorations of the last decades of the last century which brought the tower back to its ancient splendor.

– Torre delle Cannelle, built by the Medici in the second half of the sixteenth century on the southern borders of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. The tower fulfilled the functions of sighting and active defense of the coastal stretch, with the possibility of communicating, in case of impending danger from the sea, with the nearby Torre di Poggio Raso. At the end of the eighteenth century, restoration work was carried out on the entire complex. Another period of decay occurred from 1861 onwards, the year in which the tower was abandoned of its original functions and subsequently sold to private individuals. Currently the structure is completely restored and used as a hotel residence.

– To remember is also the Colle di Talamonaccio, in fact it was in this place that the remains of an ancient Etruscan temple of the 4th century BC were found, later destroyed by a violent fire of natural origin; today practically no trace remains of the ancient temple, however, well reconstructed and preserved, is its great pedimental relief: the “Pediment of Talamone”, dating back to 150 BC, made entirely of terracotta and representing the tragedy of Oedipus and the Seven against Thebes. The Pediment was kept until May 30, 2012 in the Archaeological Museum of Orbetello and is currently being restored.

Fonteblanda is a fraction of the Municipality of Orbetello which is about twenty kilometers from Orbetello center.

WHAT SEE

– Church of Santa Maria Goretti, dedicated to the saint canonized in 1950. In the same yaer the construction of this religious building began which was consecrated thirty years later. On the right side the bell tower rises and next to it is the rectory and the large parish rooms. The church is located in the town square.

– Church of Santa Maria dell’Osa, located inside the Corte dei Butteri hotel (near the Osa river), was built in 1963 by the architect Ico Parisi and then renovated in 1991.

Foto di Alberto Franceschini