the town born from the foundries that smelted the iron of Elba, at the centre of its gulf in the Maremma, with the shallow sea and fine sand for children, the two pine woods behind the beach, the cast iron church and museum, and half an hour away Massa Marittima, Scarlino, the mines of Gavorrano, Baratti and Cala Violina
Follonica lies at the centre of its gulf, halfway along the Tuscan coast between Piombino and Punta Ala, and it is a young town: it grew up around the iron foundries, where for centuries the ore that came from the mines of Elba, in sight across the sea, was smelted with charcoal from the woods and water from the streams of the hills. The works were made great by the Lorraine grand dukes, above all Grand Duke Leopold II, who from the 1830s rebuilt the plants, reclaimed the Maremma and had a church with a cast iron portico built in front of the furnaces, San Leopoldo. The foundries closed in 1960, and in the sheds of the former Ilva works, in the middle of the town, today there are the MAGMA, the museum of cast iron art, the library, the theatre and in summer the open-air cinema. The rest is the sea: a seafront promenade along the gulf, fine sand and a sea floor that slopes so gently that you walk a long way with the water at your knees, and behind the beach the two pine woods, the pineta di Levante and the pineta di Ponente, the eastern and western pine woods, which give shade in the hottest hours. In summer, for a family, this is what Follonica is: the beach in the morning, the pine wood at midday, the seafront in the evening. Around it are the village of Scarlino on its hill, Massa Marittima with its cathedral and its mines, and the mining park of Gavorrano; and two experiences on this page: the Gulf of Baratti and Populonia, half an hour by road towards Piombino, with the beach below the Etruscan city, and Cala Violina, the little sandy cove in the Bandite di Scarlino, to the south, which you can reach only on foot or by bicycle.
Sleeping
Stops and overnight stays
At Follonica there is no motorhome area run by the Comune: the only public one, at the Mezzaluna on the edge of town, has been closed for years, and the areas promised at Pratoranieri and at Cassarello were never built. In town you sleep in the campsites of Pratoranieri, to the north, where the pine wood reaches the free beach and the centre can be reached by bicycle along the Ciclovia Tirrenica, the Tyrrhenian cycle route, or in the small private area at Cassarello, in the countryside behind the town. To the south, just past the boundary with Scarlino, the campsites of the Salciaina and of the Puntone are the closest to Cala Violina. To the north, towards Piombino, the Sterpaia coast has a private area at Mortelliccio and, at Riotorto, a small farm area open all year; for the Gulf of Baratti the motorhome stays at the Caldanelle car park, the only one in the gulf that takes it. Also open all year, at Follonica, there is the Veliero at Pratoranieri, which publishes its prices from January to December. Follonica has the Blue Flag again in 2026.
Parco Vacanze Il Veliero
via Isole Eolie, località Prato Ranieri, 58022 Follonica (GR)
a holiday village at Pratoranieri in its own pine wood, with 264 pitches of about 90 square metres, each with its own private wooden bathroom (shower, toilet and washbasin) and a kitchen corner with a fridge. There are three swimming pools, two of 25 metres and one for children, open from 1 June to the second week of September, the restaurant in the evening, the mini club from 4 to 8 years and the junior club from 9 to 12. Electricity is 6 amp. The free beach is one kilometre away, a quarter of an hour on foot, and the Follonica Nord beach for dogs 850 metres; the centre is four kilometres away, along the cycle and footpath by the sea. There is no shuttle; check-in is from 16:00 to 21:00
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The operator's price list for 2027, per day: from 7 to 20 August the pitch 42 euros and 19 euros per person, that is 80 euros for two; from 19 June to 6 August and from 21 to 27 August 32 and 18, that is 68; from 1 to 18 June and from 28 August to 3 September 27 and 13, that is 53; from 1 January to 31 May and from 4 September to 31 December 18 and 12, that is 42. Children from 4 to 8 years from 9 to 14 euros, free under 4; dogs free. Electricity and the camper service are included in the booking; extra is the tourist tax, 1 euro per person per night from 1 April to 30 September · 0566 260890 · campingfollonica.it
a campsite at Pratoranieri in the pine wood, with direct access to the free beach a few metres away; the centre is three and a half kilometres away along the seafront, a quarter of an hour by bicycle on the cycle path. Electricity is 6 amp, hot showers are free, and there are a token laundry, a shop, a restaurant with a pizzeria and, only in July and August, entertainment by day and in the evening. In 2026 it was open from 7 May to 13 September, with reception day and night. Dogs of small and medium size are allowed only until 30 June and from 1 September. In high season you book from Saturday to Saturday; you leave the pitch by 12:00, and inside the campsite cars do not move from 13 to 16 and from 23 to 8
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The operator's price list for 2026, per day: from 1 to 23 August the motorhome pitch (over 35 square metres) 20.50 euros and 20 euros per person, that is 60.50 euros for two; from 4 to 31 July 20 and 19, that is 58; from 30 May to 3 July 17 and 16.50, that is 50; from 16 to 29 May 14 and 13.40; at the opening, from 7 to 15 May, 10 and 8.50. Children from 3 to 6 years from 5.40 to 12.40 euros, dogs 5 euros. Hot showers are included · 0566 260255 · campeggiotahiti.it
the small area of a farm stay in the countryside of Cassarello, behind the town, the only stopover for motorhomes in Follonica outside the campsites: ten level pitches, partly in the shade, with filling and emptying, a bathroom with a shower, an outdoor shower and sinks for the dishes and the laundry. The electricity is low power: in summer it does not run an air conditioner. The sea and the centre are three and a half kilometres away, ten minutes by bicycle along a country road. The road and the railway are close by. There is no reception: you phone before arriving, and late in the evening there may be nobody there
10 motorhome pitches
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The operator does not publish a price list: in July and August 2026 travellers paid 20 euros for 24 hours, in 2025 15 euros with electricity; filling and emptying only, in June 2026, 5 euros. The shower is extra
via del Buttero 2, località Salciaina, 58020 Scarlino (GR)
a campsite by the sea at the southern edge of Follonica, already in the municipality of Scarlino, in front of the white beach of the gulf, with level pitches on grass, almost all in the shade of acacias, a bar, a minimarket and barbecue areas. It is the most convenient for anyone travelling with a dog: dogs of every size stay with their owners, and there are two fenced areas where they can run free. The camper service empties grey water; black water goes into the chemical toilet point. Electricity is at most 3 amp, and you bring the cable with the blue plug from home. It is not a stopover campsite: once on the pitch the motorhome does not go out until you leave, and to get around there is the car, in the internal car park, open from 7:00 to 13:00 and from 15:30 to 23:30. It also answers on WhatsApp, at 337 686201
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The operator does not publish a price list: the price is worked out with the quote on the website · 0566 54006 · camping-bungalows.com
via delle Collacchie, località Puntone, 58020 Scarlino (GR)
the family campsite of the Puntone, since the 1960s, in the pine wood and right on the free beach of the gulf, with no roads to cross: fine sand and a shallow sea floor, suitable for children. All 156 pitches have electricity; there are a restaurant, a bar, a shop, a first aid room, a washing machine and a dryer, free wifi, entertainment in summer and moorings for small boats, and dogs are allowed with the management's permission. It is the closest stopover to Cala Violina: less than a kilometre away is the barrier of the Costiere di Portiglioni, from where you go on foot or by bicycle to Cala Martina and Cala Violina, and the Val Martina car park, from where you walk down to the cove, is five kilometres away by road. It also answers on the mobile, 333 2024176
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The operator's price list, which does not give the year, per day: the motorhome pitch 16 euros from 20 April to 29 June and from 1 to 14 September, 21 euros from 30 June to 31 July and from 26 to 31 August, 23 euros from 1 to 25 August; per person from 8 years 10.50, 14.50 and 16.50 euros in the same three bands, children from 1 to 8 years 8.50, 9.50 and 11.50 euros, the dog 5, 5.50 and 6.50 euros. For summer stays booked by 15 May there is a 10 per cent discount · 0566 866145 · campingpiper.it
a private supervised area on the Sterpaia coast, between Follonica and Piombino, two hundred metres from the sea of Mortelliccio, with pitches of 55 square metres, each with its own little garden, filling and emptying at the pitch and renovated bathrooms. The bar, restaurant and minimarket of the nearby holiday village are thirty metres away. In 2026 it opened on 3 April. The Gulf of Baratti is seventeen kilometres away
According to the operator, which does not give the year, 44 euros for 24 hours in July and August and 33 euros in April, May, June and September, for the motorhome with up to five people, with water, electricity, emptying, the bathrooms and wifi included; extra are the hot shower, 1 euro, the washing machine, 4 euros, and the dryer, 3 euros · camperoasi.com
a motorhome area on a farm at Riotorto, between Follonica and Piombino, open all year: twelve pitches on fine gravel, a camper service with emptying of grey and black water, 10 amp electricity, free reverse osmosis water, a barbecue, bicycles for guests and the sale of the farm's fruit, vegetables and olive oil. For guests there is a shuttle to the beaches of Torre Mozza, Carbonifera, Mortelliccio and Carlappiano. Animals are allowed. You arrive from 14:00 and leave by 12:00; you book by paying 30 per cent
12 motorhome pitches
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According to the operator, which does not give the year, the pitch for up to four people 35 euros a night in August, 30 in July, 25 in June and 20 from September to May, with a minimum of two nights; each extra person 5 euros, the tourist tax 1 euro per person per night · 389 1987426 · areacampertoscana.it
the farm campsite closest to the Gulf of Baratti, eight hundred metres from the sea according to the operator, about ten minutes on foot along a dirt road, and a kilometre and a half from the visitor centre of the Archaeological Park. The motorhome pitches are 45 square metres, with electricity and water, with little shade; there are two accessible bathrooms, two barbecue areas with a brick oven, a laundry and wifi, and dogs are allowed. You arrive from 12:00 to 19:00 and leave by 12:00; you book with a deposit. From 1 June to 30 September vehicles wider than two metres cannot use the Baratti road: you get there from the side of Fabbricciane and Populonia Stazione, and the last stretch is a narrow dirt road
The operator's price list, which does not give the year, per day: the motorhome pitch 15 euros from 20 July to 20 August, 13 euros from 1 to 19 July and from 21 to 31 August, 11 euros in June and September, 10 euros in the other months; adults 15, 13, 11 and 9 euros in the same periods; children from 6 to 13 years from 5 to 8 euros, free up to 5 years. Electricity and water included, emptying the motorhome 7 euros; the tourist tax 1 euro per person per day from 12 years, from 1 June to 15 September, in cash · 0565 29641 · podereetrusco.it
strada provinciale 23 ter delle Caldanelle, Baratti, 57025 Piombino (LI)
the motorhome car park for the Gulf of Baratti, at the start of the road that goes down to the gulf, run by Parchi Val di Cornia for the Comune of Piombino. It is the only one in the gulf that takes motorhomes: the others are for cars, and in summer, from 1 June to 30 September, vehicles wider than two metres cannot use the gulf road. In summer the free 15E shuttle, the Eco Baratti Bus, leaves the car park for the beach, the Archaeological Park and Populonia Alta. At night travellers sleep here, with the motorhome on its wheels and nothing outside; there is no shade. The port of Piombino, for Elba, is eleven kilometres away
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The operator's rates for 2026, charged from 28 March to 4 October from 8:00 to 20:00: 3.20 euros for the first hour, 12.50 for four hours, 15.65 for five hours, 26.50 euros from ten hours upwards. The parking meters take coins and cards. Filling and emptying are free · parchivaldicornia.it
At Follonica the motorhome stays at the campsite: the centre, the seafront, the former Ilva area and the MAGMA can be explored on foot and by bicycle, the station is ten minutes' walk from piazza Sivieri, and the cycle path runs the whole length of the gulf, from Pratoranieri to the boundary with Scarlino. The motorhome moves for the day trips: Cala Violina to the south, Massa Marittima inland, Baratti and Populonia to the north, and the ferry for Elba from Piombino.
You arrive on the Variante Aurelia, the state road 1 dual carriageway between Livorno and Grosseto, which has three exits: Follonica Nord, for Pratoranieri and the centre; Follonica Est - Massa Marittima, for the centre and for the state road 439 Sarzanese Valdera, which climbs to Massa Marittima in twenty kilometres; and Scarlino, for Scarlino Scalo. The old Aurelia enters the town as the provincial road 152 Aurelia Vecchia; for the Puntone, Cala Violina and Punta Ala you take the strada delle Collacchie, along the coast
Motorhomes and the Comune: the centre of Follonica has limited traffic zones and, since summer 2026, new pedestrian areas in via Martiri di Niccioleta and in via Giacomelli; at Pratoranieri viale Italia is a limited traffic zone, along the Ciclovia Tirrenica. Parking in the blue zone is charged on weekdays from 8:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 20:00, and from 15 June to 15 September on public holidays too; in piazza XXV Aprile and in piazza XXIV Maggio, in summer, until midnight. On the night of 14 August, for the fireworks, the lungomare Carducci and the streets around it close from 21:00 and parking is banned from 16:00, with towing
The Gulf of Baratti and Populonia: the Comune of Piombino closes the gulf road to vehicles wider than two metres from 1 June to 30 September; from October to the day before Easter, and from Easter to 31 May on weekdays, you can get through only from 10:00 to 16:30 and only to go to the Archaeological Park. Beyond the Casone car park, towards Populonia Alta, motorhomes never go up. The motorhome stays at Caldanelle, and you go down on the free 15E shuttle, which in 2026 ran from 11 June to 14 September, and from 27 July left about every twenty minutes on weekdays
Cala Violina is reached on foot or by bicycle: you leave the vehicle at the Val Martina car park, on the strada delle Collacchie, or at the harbour of the Puntone, from where the path along the coast is longer. In summer access to the cove is limited in number, by booking
The train: Follonica station is 700 metres from piazza Sivieri, on the Tyrrhenian line between Pisa and Rome. In the Trenitalia timetable, on a weekday in November 2026, the regional train reaches Campiglia Marittima in 10-15 minutes (3 euros), Grosseto in 20-35 minutes (6.60 euros; the Intercity in 18 minutes, 9 euros), Livorno in an hour to an hour and a quarter (9.80 euros), Pisa Centrale in an hour and ten minutes to an hour and three quarters (11.40 euros), Firenze Santa Maria Novella in two and a quarter hours with the fast regional train (18.40 euros) and Roma Termini in two and three quarter hours with the fast regional train (17.95 euros; the Intercity in two and a quarter hours, 28 euros). Piombino Marittima, the port for Elba, is 35-60 minutes away with a change at Campiglia, sometimes on the replacement bus (from 5.30 to 6.40 euros)
The buses are run by Autolinee Toscane: the 49M goes from Follonica to Massa Marittima and, in the other direction, to Piombino, as far as the ticket offices at the port; the 29F passes the Puntone and Pian d'Alma, for the Bandite di Scarlino, and reaches Punta Ala and Castiglione della Pescaia; the 30F goes to Scarlino, the 012 to Riotorto and Piombino. In town the urban lines F1, F2 and F3 run from the station
By bicycle: Follonica is a ComuneCiclabile, a bicycle-friendly town, of FIAB, the Italian cycling federation, with three bike smiles confirmed in 2026. The Ciclovia Tirrenica crosses the town from Pratoranieri to the boundary with Scarlino, partly on cycle and footpaths along the sea and partly on quiet roads, and takes you into the centre from the campsites of Pratoranieri. Between the centre and the Parco Centrale you go through the new opening in the wall of the former Ilva area, opened in 2026
LPG, according to OpenStreetMap: at the Eni station at provincial road 152 Aurelia Vecchia 91, open day and night, and at the B.Fuel station nearby, on the same road; at the Agip station on the 152 at Scarlino Scalo; and at the filling station in via delle Collacchie at the Puntone, open day and night
For Elba: from Piombino the Moby and Toremar ferries leave for Portoferraio, in about an hour; the port is 28 kilometres from Follonica, and from Follonica station you get there by train with a change at Campiglia
The surroundings, in kilometres by road from piazza Sivieri: the Puntone 5, Torre Mozza 7, the Val Martina car park for Cala Violina 9, Scarlino 13, Punta Ala 19, Massa Marittima 20, Gavorrano 20, Castiglione della Pescaia 23, Baratti 27, Piombino 27 (the port 28), Populonia 30, San Vincenzo 32, Grosseto 49
Seeing
Sights
Follonica can be explored on foot and by bicycle: the seafront runs the whole length of the gulf, with the pineta di Ponente towards the north-west and the pineta di Levante towards Senzuno, and in the middle of the town, a stone's throw from the sea, is the area of the former foundries, with the cast iron museum and the church of San Leopoldo. Outside the town, less than half an hour away by road, are Scarlino and the Puntone to the south, Massa Marittima and Gavorrano in the hills. Tap a marker on the map to open its entry below.
1
The seafront of Follonica
Walk · free entry · 42.92209, 10.75434
viale Italia, 58022 Follonica (GR)
the town's seafront, on the gulf, with Elba in front of it, and on clear days the promontory of Piombino and Punta Ala at the two ends. Towards the west it is viale Italia, largely pedestrian, with the beach establishments, the bars and the Pista dei Pini, the old skating rink under the pines of the pineta di Ponente; from there a pedestrian coast path and the cycle path take you in less than five kilometres to Pratoranieri. Towards the east the seafront becomes viale Carducci and reaches Senzuno, at the pineta di Levante. In the middle, a stone's throw from the beach, is piazza Sivieri, the centre of the town. The beach is a long, narrow strip of fine sand, with beach establishments and stretches of free beach in turn; in summer the Comune, with the beach operators and the Coast Guard, provides lifeguards on the free beaches too. Follonica also has two beaches for dogs, the Bau Beach, one in town and one at Follonica Nord
The former Ilva works and the MAGMA, the cast iron museum
Museum · paid entry · 42.92267, 10.76211
comprensorio ex Ilva, 58022 Follonica (GR)
in the middle of the town, four hundred metres from piazza Sivieri, is the enclosure of the old foundries, which have not smelted anything since 1960 and which the Comune has restored building by building. You enter through the monumental gate of iron and cast iron, which Wikipedia dates to between 1831 and 1845, and inside are the Palazzo Granducale, the Grand Duke's palace, where Leopold II lived from 1845, the clock tower, built as a chapel in the seventeenth century and rebuilt in 1839, the director's house, the building of the square furnace of 1578, today the Biblioteca della Ghisa, the cast iron library, Foundry no. 1, an exhibition centre since 2015, and Foundry no. 2, since 2014 the Teatro Fonderia Leopolda. In summer there is the open-air cinema at the Ferriere. The MAGMA, Museo delle Arti in Ghisa nella Maremma, the museum of cast iron art in the Maremma, is in the San Ferdinando furnace, the oldest building in the town: an ironworks of 1546, which became a smelting furnace in 1818. The visit is on three floors: on the first, art, with the cast iron objects for squares and homes that came out of the art foundry and its school of ornament and went all over Italy; on the second, history, from the iron of the Etruscans to the charcoal burners who came from the Montagna Pistoiese, the mountains above Pistoia; in the basement, production, with projections and installations. The museum runs workshops for children, who get in free under 12. The public car park is in via Golino, the station ten minutes' walk away
Opening hours according to the museum, which does not give the year: from 16 June to 15 September on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday 9:00-13:00, and Tuesday to Sunday 17:30-21:30; from 16 September to 15 June Tuesday to Sunday 15:30-19:00. Closed on Mondays. The last entry is 45 minutes before closing · according to the museum, which does not give the year, 5 euros, reduced 4 euros for groups of more than 15 people and for holders of the FolloniCard or the pArcheoCard; free under 12 · 0566 59027 · magmafollonica.it · frontoffice@magmafollonica.it
the church that Leopold II wanted in front of his foundries, next to the former Ilva works. He chose the site during a visit to Follonica in 1836; it was designed by Alessandro Manetti and Carlo Reishammer, begun on 18 May 1836 and consecrated in May 1838, and it is considered finished in 1842. It is neoclassical, on a Latin cross plan, and what makes it special is the cast iron: the portico with its columns and balustrade, the churchyard, the rose window of the façade, the apse, the spire of the bell tower and, inside, the pulpit designed by Reishammer in 1841, all cast in the foundries opposite. Wikipedia calls it the first Italian church with so many cast iron parts. The bell tower is of Valpiana travertine; inside are the decorations by Giuseppe Castellucci from 1928 and the baptismal font by Lorenzo Nencini from 1841. Every year, in summer, the town remembers the consecration with the re-enactment of Follos 1838, in 2026 on 19 July. Nobody publishes the church's opening hours
the pine wood that runs from the town down towards Senzuno and the eastern coast, behind the beach, inside the Tomboli di Follonica State Nature Reserve. The pines give shade a stone's throw from the sea, and the Comune writes that it has been renewed and is suitable for picnics; near the town there are play areas for children and fitness equipment, and a network of paths to walk or cycle. In the less busy parts, towards the dunes, the dune plants grow, among them the rare sea daffodil, and you can hear the green woodpecker. It is the place for midday, when it is too hot on the beach
the other half of the pine wood, which the town divides in two: it begins behind viale Italia, just beyond the centre, and follows the seafront towards the north-west, between the beach and the houses. This too is part of the Tomboli Reserve, and it has been renewed for picnics. Inside is the Pista dei Pini, the historic open-air skating rink, and the paths under the pines lead towards Pratoranieri. In summer it gives shade to the people on the western beaches
The beach of Senzuno and the former Colonia Marina
Beach · free entry · 42.91447, 10.76717
the eastern beach, in the Senzuno quarter, where the seafront ends and the pineta di Levante begins. In front of the former Colonia Marina, the old children's seaside holiday home, there is a stretch of free beach that the Comune points out for the summer, with the pine wood just behind for shade; further on the coast continues towards the Puntone and Scarlino. As everywhere in the gulf the sea floor is sand and slopes gently
the western beach, less than five kilometres from the centre, which you reach on foot or by bicycle along viale Italia, with the pedestrian coast path and the cycle path. It is almost all free beach, with a few beach establishments where you can hire equipment for water sports; the sand is golden and fine, the beach long and narrow like all those of Follonica, and the sea floor stays shallow for many metres from the shore. Visit Tuscany, which does not give the year, lists it with the Bandiera Verde, the Green Flag that paediatricians give to beaches suitable for small children. A little further north is the Bau Beach of Follonica Nord, for anyone travelling with a dog
Point of interest · paid entry · 42.92655, 10.77696
via Raffaello Sanzio, 58022 Follonica (GR)
the town's water park, just outside the centre towards the Aurelia, less than two kilometres from piazza Sivieri. Three pools, Kauai with waves, Makai for relaxing and Moku, the children's island, with water games, colourful slides and a big playground, and seven slides, from the Kamikaze and the Anaconda to the Kona, an eighteen metre slide with a descent in the dark, and the Naheka, completely in the dark; among the new features for 2026 is the Kupua area. It opens only in summer; the season and the opening hours are on the park's website
The operator's price list valid from 13 June 2026: 27 euros a day from 12 to 69 years, 22 euros from 3 to 11; from 14:30 22 and 17 euros. Free up to 2 years and from 70. Sun loungers, umbrellas and lockers 4 euros; the open-air car park is free, the covered one 4 euros · 0566 263735 · acquavillage.it · info@acquavillage.it
the seaside village of Scarlino, five kilometres by road south of Follonica, at the mouth of the canal that drains the marsh of Scarlino, at the end of the gulf. There is the marina, opened in 2003, and next to it the bay of Portiglioni, with sandy beaches and less crowded little coves. From Portiglioni the dirt cycle track to Punta Ala sets off, passing above the coves of the Bandite di Scarlino, among them Cala Violina and Cala Martina: from Cala Martina, in the summer of 1849, Garibaldi set sail to escape the men pursuing him, and at the harbour a marble memorial stone has remembered him since 2 September 2007. Just north of the harbour, at the Puntone Vecchio, are the remains of a Roman building from the first century BC, which stayed in use until the third century AD
the village on the hill that looks over the gulf, at 229 metres, thirteen kilometres by road from Follonica; according to Wikipedia the municipality had 3,665 inhabitants on 31 May 2026. At the top is the Rocca Pisana, the Pisan fortress, the stronghold of the Aldobrandeschi first mentioned in 1108: in 1227 Pisa bought the centre of the village and finished its walls, in 1399 Scarlino passed to the Appiani of Piombino, in 1815 to the Grand Duchy. The excavations of the fortress, between 1979 and 1983, found structures going back to the Bronze Age. From the fortress you see the gulf, Elba and the plain of the marsh. Next to it is the Centro di documentazione del territorio Riccardo Francovich, the local documentation centre, with the finds from the fortress from the Bronze Age to the seventeenth century and the treasure of Scarlino, a hundred fourteenth-century gold coins found in a walled-up jar. In the village is the church of San Martino, rebuilt in 1759 for Princess Eleonora Appiani. The Centre also runs workshops and excursions, to be booked on 0566 844381
the town in the hills above Follonica, at 380 metres and twenty kilometres away by road, about half an hour; until 1923 Follonica belonged to it. It grew rich on the copper and silver of its mines: the free commune was born in 1225 and lasted until 1337, when it passed to Siena, and from 1317 it minted its own coins; the last mine, Campiano, closed in 1994. The heart of the town is piazza Garibaldi, on a slope, with the cathedral of San Cerbone at the top of its flight of steps, Romanesque, with the upper part of the façade redone around 1300, scenes from the life of the saint on the doorway, the baptismal font by Giroldo da Como from 1267, the arca di San Cerbone, the saint's tomb, by Goro di Gregorio from 1324 and a Maestà attributed to Duccio di Buoninsegna, from 1316; on the same square are the Palazzo del Podestà, from about 1225, today the Archaeological Museum, and the Palazzo comunale, the town hall, made of two tower houses joined together. A little below, in via Ximenes, is the Fonte dell'Abbondanza, the Fountain of Abundance, from 1265, with the fresco of the tree of fertility discovered in 1999. Uphill you reach the Città Nuova, the new town, with the Cassero senese, the Sienese fortress, finished in 1337, and the Torre del Candeliere, the tower of the bishop's castle, which a great arch joins to the Cassero: inside you see the mechanism of the clock, installed in 1443, you walk over the arch and along the walls, and from the top you see the town, the plain, the sea, Elba, Montecristo and on clear days Corsica. For young people the place to go is the Museo Subterraneo, the underground museum, at via Corridoni 11: the Museo della Miniera, the mine museum, is a route of seven hundred metres through galleries fitted out like a real mine, with the wagons, the excavators, the pneumatic drills, the canteen and the miners' powder store, which you can do only with a guide and which lasts about fifty minutes; in the gallery it is 12 degrees all year, so you need a sweatshirt and closed shoes even in August. Next door, the Museo di arte e storia delle miniere, the museum of mining art and history, holds the tools, the old maps and the minerals. The mine visits are booked on 0566 906525
Opening hours according to the Musei di Massa Marittima, which do not give the year, the Torre del Candeliere in October Tuesday to Sunday 9:30-13:00 and 14:00-18:00, from November to 13 December on Saturday and Sunday 9:30-17:00, from 19 December to 10 January every day 9:30-17:00, closed on 25 December; the Museo Subterraneo, with the Museo della Miniera and the Museo di arte e storia delle miniere, in October on Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11:00-13:00 and 14:00-16:00, from November to 13 December on Saturday and Sunday, from 19 December to 10 January every day, with the same hours. The ticket office closes half an hour earlier. According to the Comune, in summer 2024 the Subterraneo was open every day from 1 July to 31 August 11:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00: the hours for summer 2027 have not been published yet · according to the Musei di Massa Marittima, which do not give the year, the Torre del Candeliere 4 euros, reduced 3 euros from 6 to 18 years and from 65; the Museo Subterraneo 8 euros, reduced 6 euros from 6 to 18 years and from 65; free under 6. The combined ticket for the four town museums (Archaeological, Subterraneo, San Pietro all'Orto and Torre del Candeliere) cost 21 euros, reduced 17, on the Comune's 2024 page. Admission to the cathedral is free · 0566 906525 · museimassamarittima.it · accoglienzamuseimassa@gmail.com
piazzale Livello +240, Pozzo Impero, località Bagnetti, 58023 Gavorrano (GR)
the pyrite mines of Gavorrano, below the village, about twenty kilometres by road from Follonica, inside the Parco delle Colline Metallifere grossetane, the park of the metal-bearing hills of Grosseto. The ticket office and the info point are in the former Bagnetti building. The Museo in Galleria, the museum in the gallery, is in an old gallery used as an explosives store, about a hundred and fifty metres long: it tells the story of extraction and of the miners' work with reconstructions, lights, sounds and voices, and inside it is about 15 degrees, so in summer you need a sweatshirt. The GeoMet is the park's museum of geodiversity and mines. Next to it, at the foot of the San Rocco quarry, is the Teatro delle Rocce, the theatre of the rocks, an open-air theatre carved into the rock, with about two thousand seats, where shows and concerts are held in summer. The Ravi Marchi area is an open-air industrial archaeology site, with the surface plants of the mines closed in 1965 and restored, which you reach by shuttle. The Museo in Galleria is accessible, Ravi Marchi only in part
Opening hours according to the Park, which does not give the year: in April, May, June and September on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 10:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00; in July and August on Monday and Wednesday to Saturday 10:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00, on Tuesday only 15:00-18:00, on Sunday only 10:00-13:00. The Museo in Galleria can be visited only with a guide, at 11:00 and 16:00; the GeoMet at 10:15 and 15:15; the Ravi Marchi area on Saturday at 17:00. Closed in October, November and December · according to the Park, which does not give the year, the Museo in Galleria 7 euros, reduced 5; the GeoMet 5 euros, reduced 3; Galleria and GeoMet together 10 euros, reduced 7; the Ravi Marchi area 7 euros, reduced 5. Free under 9, reduced from 9 to 16 years and from 65 · 0566 843402 · parcocollinemetallifere.it · infomusei@comune.gavorrano.gr.it
The year in Follonica begins with the Carnival: the floats of the town's districts parade along the seafront on the Sundays of February, and in July they come back lit up, in the evening, in the Parco Centrale. The summer is all in the squares and by the sea: the lights of the Giardino Incantato on the seafront, the Pro Loco concerts in piazza a Mare, the nineteenth-century costume parade, the jazz of the Grey Cat in the garden of the Casello Idraulico and, on the night of 14 August, the fireworks over the gulf. In September the former Ilva area, the old cast iron works, hosts the comics fair. On 15 November it is San Leopoldo, the patron saint, and the year ends with Father Christmas's Village, New Year's Eve in piazza Sivieri and the dip in the sea on New Year's Day. Up at Massa Marittima, twice a year, the crossbowmen shoot the Balestro del Girifalco.
Next: San Leopoldo · 15 Nov
15Nov
San Leopoldo
on 15 November
the patron saint of Follonica, the saint who gives his name to the cast iron church of 1838 and to the Fonderia Leopolda. On that day the Comune celebrates its local police, in 2025 with the ceremony at the Teatro Fonderia Leopolda; in 2024 the MAGMA, the cast iron museum, held a workshop for children on the story of the saint
to be confirmed
7Feb
Carnival of Follonica
on the Sundays of February and one Saturday at sunset
the papier-mâché floats and the masked groups of the town's eight districts (Capannino, Cassarello, 167 ovest Campi Alti al Mare, Centro, Chiesa, Senzuno, Pratoranieri and Zona Nuova) parading along the lungomare Carducci from 14:30, with the float of King Carnival and, since 2026, a parade at sunset with the floats lit up; at the last parade the winning float and masked group are announced. In 2026 the ticket cost 7 euros from 8 years. In 2026, the fifty-ninth edition, the parades were on 15 and 21 February and on 1 March, the replacement for the parade of 8 February, called off because of bad weather; for the 2027 edition, the sixtieth, the parades are on 7 and 14 February, on Saturday 20 February at sunset, from 16:00, and on 28 February, with the replacement date on 7 March
7 Feb · 14 Feb · 20 Feb · 28 Feb
23May
Balestro del Girifalco at Massa Marittima
on the fourth Sunday of May and on 14 August
the crossbow contest of the three terzieri, the three quarters of Massa Marittima, Cittavecchia, Cittanova and Borgo: after the historical procession of more than a hundred and fifty people in costume, with the flag throwers and the musicians, eight crossbowmen for each terziere shoot with the old crossbow at the corniolo, the target at 36 metres, in the square in front of the cathedral of San Cerbone. The winning terziere takes the painted palio, the banner, and the crossbowman the golden bolt. In May they shoot in the afternoon, at 17:30; on 14 August in the evening, at 21:00. In 2026 the hundred and thirty-second Balestro was held on 24 May, the hundred and thirty-third on 14 August
to be confirmed23 May · 14 Aug
14Aug
The fireworks of 14 August
on 14 August
the fireworks display that every year greets Ferragosto, the mid August holiday, over the gulf, at 23:30: in 2026 twenty-five minutes of fireworks in twenty-nine scenes and a grand finale, fired from the breakwater at the mouth of the Gora delle Ferriere, in front of the lungomare Carducci. Admission is free; the seafront closes to cars from 21:00
to be confirmed
This year's dates are not out yet
The Month of the Tortello Maremmano
in May
for the whole month the restaurants of Follonica that take part serve the tortello maremmano, the Maremma filled pasta, at 10 euros, with a day of celebration at Foundry 1, the Tortello Day. In 2026 the Tortello Day was on 24 May
Giardino Incantato
from mid June to mid September
the installation of lights and illuminated flowers in the public gardens on the seafront, in piazza Ettore Socci and in front of the former Florida dance hall, which lights up at sunset, with free admission. In 2026 from 15 June to 13 September
Onde Sonore
between June and July
the concert season of the Pro Loco of Follonica, the local tourist association, in piazza a Mare, piazza Guerrazzi, at 21:15, with rock tribute bands. In 2026 on 28 June and on 4, 11, 18 and 31 July
Follos 1838
in July
the re-enactment of the inauguration of the church of San Leopoldo, consecrated in 1838 in the presence of Grand Duke Leopold II: a procession in nineteenth-century costume, with carriages, horses and people in period dress, leaves the church at 21:15, goes down via Roma to piazza a Mare, where there are the drummers, the trumpeters and the nineteenth-century dances, and ends in the former Ilva area, at the Cancellone, the big gate. In 2026 on 19 July
Il Treno, the Senzuno festival
at the end of July
the festival of the most traditional quarter of Follonica, two evenings of music, art and history in the streets of Senzuno, organised by the Senzuno Art'è association. In 2026, the second edition, on 23 and 24 July
Summer Carnival
a Saturday at the end of July
the floats of the February Carnival parade in the evening, all lit up, together with the masked groups, in the Parco Centrale: from 19:30 street food, bouncy castles and face painting, from 21:00 the parade. Admission is by free donation, and you can come in fancy dress; the summer little train extends its route from the centre to the park. In 2026, the tenth edition, on 25 July
Grey Cat Festival
from the end of July to 19 August
the jazz festival of the gulf, which takes concerts to the places of the Maremma, from the garden of the Casello Idraulico of Follonica, the old waterworks house, to the Rocca Pisana of Scarlino, the mines of Ravi Marchi, the Rocca degli Alberti at Monterotondo and Vetulonia. In 2026 it played at Follonica on 30 July and on 2, 3, 5 and 6 August, with Paolo Fresu and the P.A.F. Trio and with the American pianist Joey Calderazzo; the pass for the whole festival cost 80 euros
Le Carriere del 19 at Scarlino
on 18 and 19 August
the festival of the village of Scarlino, thirteen kilometres away, which remembers the end of the cholera epidemic of 1855 with its three contrade, its districts, Rocca, Centro and San Donato: the historical procession, the flag throwers, the relay race and the archery final on the piazzale del Castello, with food stalls and, on the day of the festival, a free shuttle to the village. In 2026 on 18 and 19 August
Follsonica
in mid August
the music festival of the young people of the area, rock, rap, trap and metal, in the Parco Centrale, from 19:00, with free admission, with a tribute to Erriquez of the Bandabardò. In 2026, the twentieth edition, on 16 August
Follomix
in September
the fair of comics, collecting and games in the former Ilva area, three days from 10:00 to 19:00 with the authors, workshops, cosplay and tournaments. In 2026, the second edition, from 18 to 20 September, with a Diabolik comic set in Follonica given to visitors
Follonica... Ed è Natale
from the end of November to 6 January
the Christmas of the Comune and of the Pro Loco: the switching on of the lights in piazza Sivieri, Father Christmas's Village in the garden of the former Casello Idraulico, with entertainment, the circus, sweets and workshops for children, the living nativity scene in the church of Santi Pietro e Paolo and, on 6 January, the Befana, the good witch of Epiphany, at Senzuno and in via Roma. In 2025 the lights were switched on on 30 November, the Village was open from 15 December to 6 January, closed on the 25th and 26th, and the living nativity was on 27 December
New Year at Follonica
on 31 December and 1 January
New Year's Eve in piazza Sivieri, with music and DJs, free admission from 22:30, and a show with tickets at the Teatro Fonderia Leopolda. On the morning of 1 January there is the Tuffo di Capodanno, the New Year's dip, of the Società Nazionale di Salvamento, the national lifesaving society: you meet at 11:00 in viale Italia, at the beach near the Florida beach establishment, the dip is at 12:00, then a toast with hot tea and sparkling wine; taking part is free and you get a T-shirt. In the afternoon there is the New Year concert of the Filarmonica Puccini at the Fonderia Leopolda
Remember
Useful tips
In summer at Follonica the motorhome sleeps at the campsite: there is no area run by the Comune, and the only stopover outside the campsites, at Cassarello, has ten spaces. At Pratoranieri the Tahiti is a quarter of an hour by bicycle from the centre, the Veliero has the swimming pools and the children's clubs; book ahead, and in high season the Tahiti works from Saturday to Saturday
Out of season the Veliero at Pratoranieri and, at Riotorto, the Orticillo area stay open, both all year: they are the stopovers for the Carnival in February
For Cala Violina it is best to sleep at the Puntone, at the Piper, five kilometres from the Val Martina car park; in summer access to the cove is limited in number, and you book in advance. For Baratti the motorhome stays at Caldanelle and you go down on the free shuttle: on the gulf road, from June to September, vehicles wider than two metres cannot get through, and the motorhome never goes up to Populonia Alta
On 14 August you cannot drive into the centre with the motorhome: for the fireworks the lungomare Carducci and the streets around it close from 21:00, and parking is banned from 16:00, with towing. From the campsites of Pratoranieri you go by bicycle or on foot along the sea
If you travel with a dog check the rules before booking: at the Tahiti dogs are allowed only until 30 June and from September, at the Veliero and at Riva dei Butteri they are welcome all summer, and for a swim there is the Follonica Nord beach for dogs, near Pratoranieri
The shallow sea is the children's sea: at Follonica you walk a long way with the water at your knees, and the free beaches, such as those of Senzuno and Pratoranieri, have lifeguards in summer. The middle hours of the day are spent in the shade of the Levante and Ponente pine woods, a stone's throw from the sand
The evening at the MAGMA: in summer the cast iron museum is open until 21:30 Tuesday to Sunday, and children under 12 get in free. It goes well with a walk on the seafront and a look at the church of San Leopoldo, right next to it
Into the mine with a sweatshirt: in the Museo della Miniera at Massa Marittima it is 12 degrees and in the gallery at Gavorrano about 15, even in August; bring a sweatshirt and closed shoes. At Massa the mine can be visited only with a guide, and it is best to phone first; at Gavorrano the guided tours leave at 11:00 and 16:00
Do Massa Marittima and Scarlino early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when it is less hot in the hills: from the Torre del Candeliere and from the Rocca Pisana you see the gulf with Elba
At the Acqua Village the afternoon costs less: from 14:30 the ticket drops to 22 euros for adults and to 17 for children from 3 to 11 years (2026 price list), and up to 2 years you do not pay
Follonica · part two
and then?
What to do, what to taste, and where to go tomorrow.
Experiences from here
What we did starting from here, ordered by driving time.
At Follonica you eat the sea of the gulf: in the restaurants of the harbour and the seafront the local fish, fish soups and cacciucco, the Tuscan fish stew. As soon as you climb towards the hills the cooking of the Maremma begins, which Visit Tuscany describes through acquacotta, literally "cooked water", the poor soup of the charcoal burners, the shepherds and the cattle herders, with onion, tomato, bread, egg and pecorino; tortelli maremmani, filled pasta with ricotta and spinach or with nettles and wild greens; pappardelle with hare, wild boar with olives and stewed snails. Everything is dressed with the olive oil of the hills. To drink there are the wines of the Strada del Vino Monteregio, the Monteregio wine route, which links the wineries around Massa Marittima: the Monteregio di Massa Marittima DOC, and from the Maremma the Vermentino, the white wine of the sea, and the Morellino di Scansano, the red made from Sangiovese.
the Gulf of Follonica with the long beach and the seafront seen from abovePhoto: Jacopo from Prato, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0the beach of Follonica and the pines, with the houses of the seafrontPhoto: Jacopo from Prato, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0the Piccolo Mondo, the restaurant over the sea on the seafront of FollonicaPhoto: Alienautic, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0the seafront of Follonica with its balustrade and the houses by the seaPhoto: Alienautic, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0the beach and the shallow sea of Follonica seen from above, with the pines behindPhoto: Jacopo from Prato, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0the pines bent by the wind and the salt on the beach of FollonicaPhoto: Francesco Babboni, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0the sun setting over the sea with the island of Elba on the horizon, seen from FollonicaPhoto: Francesco Babboni, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0the red sky at sunset over the sea of FollonicaPhoto: Stiller Beobachter, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0the monumental cast iron gate, the entrance to the former Ilva foundriesPhoto: Mongolo1984, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the red buildings of the former Ilva works and the MAGMA museum, among the pines and the palmsPhoto: Alienautic, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0the Museo delle Arti in Ghisa nella Maremma, the MAGMA, in the red building of the former Ilva worksPhoto: Alienautic, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0the Ringrane furnaces, the stone arches of the former Ilva works at FollonicaPhoto: Alienautic, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0the clock tower among the pines of the park of the former Ilva foundriesPhoto: Alienautic, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0the park of the former Ilva foundries with the pines and the palmsPhoto: Alienautic, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the church of San Leopoldo, with its great cast iron porticoPhoto: Fabior04, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the cast iron columns of the portico of the church of San LeopoldoPhoto: Francesco Babboni, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0the harbour of the Puntone di Scarlino with the sailing boatsPhoto: Alienautic, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the village of Scarlino with its fortress above the plain and the seaPhoto: Jacopo from Prato, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0the round tower of the Scarlino fortress above the olive treesPhoto: Mongolo1984, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the cathedral of San Cerbone with its bell tower, at Massa MarittimaPhoto: Mykola Pokalyuk, edited by MenkinAlRire, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0piazza Garibaldi at Massa Marittima, with its medieval towers and palacesPhoto: sailko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5the roofs of Massa Marittima with the cathedral's bell tower and the countryside behindPhoto: Markus Bernet, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5the headframes of the Ravi Marchi mine, in the mining park of GavorranoPhoto: Giulio Pieralli, Wikimedia Commons, pubblico dominiothe village of Gavorrano on its hill among the scrubPhoto: Mongolo1984, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
