Art, architecture and sport in Tuscany’s Grosseto

We had a great weekend at the end of July in the Tuscan town of Grosseto.

It was my first time there, but I enjoyed the old town (even because, on a  Saturday at around 2 pm, the hottest hour of the day), we had it almost to ourselves…

Grosseto is a small city of a little over 80,000 … and it’s located about 12km from the sea (we were actually staying in Marina di Grosseto), so it’s close enough to take off to the beach for relief mid-day.

Grosseto grew quickly during the medieval era, when it was under then control of the noble Aldobrandeschi family.

Grosseto was later considered of strategic importance to the Florentine Medici rulers in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and Grosseto was absorbed into the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In the 1570s, Grosseto obtained its defensive wall – still in excellent shape today.

Although we were only passing through to our coastal hotel, it seems like a pleasant place to stay, and the evening passeggiata in summer must be pleasant. There were plenty of restaurants and bars set up for evening traffic.

We were there for the U20 Italian Track & Field National Championships (shout out to the fifth fastest 4×400 team in Italy!), and Grosseto also boasts a pretty spectacular stadium.

They host quite a few important races here, so we’ll definitely look forward to getting back.

We also drove by an extremely impressive baseball stadium – not all that common in Italy. So, if you’re a baseball fan in Italy, chances are you’ll be passing through Grosseto.

Definitely look forward to getting back for a longer stay in Grosseto. We enjoyed this picturesque town close to the sea.