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Come rain or come shine, tourists will be flocking to Italy regardless.
Home to a whopping 60 World Heritage Sites, the most of any country, and boasting a cultural wealth few nations–and civilizations as a whole–could match, it is on the bucket list of (nearly) every travel enthusiast.
That’s both a blessing and a curse: while it’s true the Italian Peninsula is one of humanity’s most highly-prized assets, it can get hella busy year-round.
Yep, even in the fall.
From the floating city of Venice down to a museum-packed Rome, it is rarely ever not brimming with googly-eyed visitors, and if you’re easily overwhelmed by crowds, you should be warned Italy’s streets are not for the faint-hearted.
But there might be an exception to the rule:
Tucked away in the Tuscan hills, yet not far from the Tyrrhenian Sea, Grosseto is a small, charming commune most tourists are completely unaware exists, and a must-see if you’re looking for a more authentic side to Italy this fall:
Have We Found One Of Italy’s Best-Kept Secrets?
Grosseto is much smaller in comparison to other well-known Italian cities, home to around 82,000 inhabitants, and unless you’re heading there specifically, you’d probably miss it altogether.
Though it’s some 9 miles from the coast, it’s not somewhere you’ll pass by when driving from Rome to cradle-of-the-Renaissance Florence, or even from Florence to fellow tourism hotspot Siena or Pisa.
That being said, it’s still only two-and-a-half hours driving from the capital, and an even-shorter 2 hours from Florence, but you may be wondering, ‘why go out of my way to visit Grosseto when there are far more noteworthy sites nearby?‘
Well, it’s a matter of whether you’re looking to beat the crowds or not (even if for a moment):
A Crowd-Free Medieval Gem In Italy
Yes, Those Are Still Some Left!
Indeed, Grosseto doesn’t have a Colosseum to call its own, but it’s a remarkably well-preserved walled town, and we wouldn’t mind spending two or three days exploring ourselves.
A stroll through its largely car-free, pedestrianized historical center is a trip back in time, and if you’ve been to Italy already, you know how it goes: lots of winding alleys flanked on both sides by tall, skinny houses adhering to a strict pastel color palette.
These may lead to hidden courtyards hosting ornate medieval fountains––still in use; we must say––or the odd Baroque church or palatial seigniorial complex.
In Grosseto’s case, all roads seem to lead to Piazza Dante, where some of the town’s most beautiful civic structures are gathered, including St. Lawrence Cathedral, an Italian-Gothic wonder dating back to the 13th-century, the City Hall and Palazzo Aldobrandeschi.
A short 6-minute walk from the square, Cassero Senese is an imposing red-brick keep built in the Middle Ages, and within the same 500-meter radius, Maiano Bastion is a common starting point for walking the extent of the City Walls––still surrounding the historical center.
And The Best Thing About It Is… No Crowds!
The best thing about it is, Grosseto is yet to be overrun by the masses, as many of its Tuscan counterparts have.
In high or low season, you’d have a hard time accessing museums in Florence or climbing up the iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa without waiting at least an hour in line unless you’ve paid an exorbitant amount of money for a timed, 40-minute guided visit.
Grosseto remains (mostly) untouched, and tourists that do end up here tend to be those who are actively in search of a more laid-back, less-chaotic version of Italy, where the central piazza hasn’t been swarmed by tour groups, and museums cost between $5-10 to enter.
This ties into our next point, which is, Grosseto is far more affordable than your average Italian city:
An Affordable Cultural Getaway
Based on Numbeo estimates, a standard pasta and wine dish in an inexpensive local restaurant will set you back by €15, or $16.62 at the current exchange rate, while a dinner for two in a mid-range restaurant will total roughly $60.95, or $30.47 each.
If you’re traveling on a budget and you’re wondering where to go for the tastiest, freshest, best-value pasta in town, we can recommend the casual, family-owned Trattoria Il Giogo––prices are excellent, ranging from $13 to $31, and their anchovy pasta is heavenly.
As we mentioned before, Grosseto is not far from the Mediterranean coast, so if you’re on big on seafood, make sure you add Rotonda 1933 in the Marina di Grosseto to your list of restaurants: dishes cost between $11 and $23, and those sea views from the terrace?
Belissimo!
If you’re not yet sold on a weekend-long getaway to Grosseto from Florence or Rome, maybe the hotel prices will be your deal-breaker:
Privately-managed guesthouse Affittacamare Mazzini 78 has listed single rooms in the heart of town from only $73 this fall, and they’re not the only accommodation providers with particularly attractive rates this season:
B&B La Locanca Chic has double rooms from $97 upward, or $48.50 per person, Casa Vacanze Arcobaleno has whole apartments in the Grosseto countryside, a 10-minute drive into town, for $83 a night, and even 4-star listing Grand Hotel Bastiani costs a reasonable $114 to book.
Grosseto Is Italy’s Next Must-See Destination
Grosseto is one of the last hidden gems of Italy, but it won’t stay this way for long:
It’s already on the radar of major publications like the BBC, and just this year, the European Commission awarded it a Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism, due to its efforts in promoting sustainable tourism––other than the absence of crowds, have we mentioned already it’s the gateway to the Maremma Regional Park?
Grosseto is the first Italian city to win the prestigious award, and it’s further proof authorities are committed to responsible, high-quality tourism, as opposed to numbers.
We doubt it will ever become a Pisa––it’s lacking both the international airport and the 183-feet inclining tower––but it could cease being completely unheard-of.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.