Monterotondo Marittimo and Castelnuovo Val di Cecina

This time we have been luckier with the weather for our week in Piomibno and Saturday is another beautiful day. We take the road inland towards Campiglia Marittima and Suvereto, both of which we visited on previous trips to the area. The countryside is a mix of cultivated fields, lines of pini marittimi, cypresses and olive trees and wilder areas of woodland as we continue inland. It’s Tuscany, but not as manicured as some of the more famous areas of the region. It’s less than an hour to get to Monterotondo Marittimo where there is limited parking in the area of the MUBIA Geo Museo delle Biancane. Geothermic energy started here. First with the discovery of boric acid and then with the production of electricity.

The area is often compared to Dante’s Inferno. The walk that takes us up among the white and bright ochre rocks is in a unique environment. This is not a place to understand from photos, although we take plenty. It is truly multisensorial: the smell of the sulfurous gases and vapours, the white steam and vapours coming out of the ground or the sound of the more urgent hissing and blackened embers around the soffioni, the warmth of the ground, not just from the sun, beneath our feet.

There are still few people around, even if it is a Saturday. It’s about ten o’clock, early if you consider it’s about an hour’s drive to get here from anywhere on the coast or sizeable. We had visited five years ago, but arriving above from the Sasso Pisano side. You can read about that excursion here.

This time we start at the bottom, and there are quite a few steps up to the top. I take it slowly, there’s lots to observe. Especially the bubbling grey thermal ‘lake’ – lagone. The official route isn’t clearly marked, and we end up walking through a miniature white canyon at one point, then feel a little guilty and take a roped route which takes us well out of our way and then back to the top of the same path. Anyway, it’s nice to explore. Lots of people are arriving and it’s getting on for lunchtime so we head downhill towards the car and drive to the centre of Monterotondo Marittimo. It’s true it’s past midday on a Saturday, but the village is almost deserted except for the playground and a bar and restaurant near the main road just below the historical centre. We are heading for Bistro civico 70. There are a few tables outside but we are uncertain as to whether it will be too hot in the sun or too cold in the shade and decide to sit inside. There’s a clean and modern décor and an interesting menu.

We decide on ‘ribollita’, a typical Tuscan ‘soup’ based on three different types of cabbage, and fried artichokes as a first/starter to share. Then as a second course I choose guancia with mashed potatoes and Andrea stracotto with chestnuts, a large beer, and water. We spend 56 euros and the food is good. I have no complaints. The recipes have been followed and the high Google ratings are understandable. And yet…..there was something special about the food the other day in Massa.

After lunch we stroll around the village, still deserted in the warm April sun and then drive to Castelnuovo Val di Cecina, our second destination of the day. We see maybe a dozen cars during the whole route and I’m starting to wonder if it was wise to leave Monterotondo without having coffee. Castelnuovo seems even quieter. But after a rather anxious walk along the main road (maybe three cars and one bus go by) we find a bar open where we have our cheapest ever caffè lungo e cappuccino – 2.40 euros sitting down.

Somewhat invigorated we return to the historical centre of Castelnuovo in search of the tromp l’oeil murals, the main reason for our visit. The historical centre is vertical. So we arrive from the main road at the top of the village in front of the church, passing through the now open crypt of the church to the rest of the village. The Imago in Villa signs show us the route – percorso, helped by the map with explanations on the website.

Imago in Villa was an international painting competition based on the trompe l'oeil technique, organized in the medieval village in 2024. Artists from all over the world had the opportunity to put their talent to use on facades of buildings to win the final prize: an apartment in the historic village itself.

The term "trompe l'oeil" is a French expression meaning "to deceive the eye". It refers to an artistic technique that attempts to fool the viewer by making a three-dimensional object appear real and tangible, even if it is painted on a two-dimensional surface, in this case a wall. 

The village itself is fascinating. Perfectly preserved without modern intrusions, perhaps because of its difficult and vertical location on the cliffside, and the murals are a valid excuse to explore it in detail. It’s a Saturday afternoon but we seem to be the only visitors. We see just a few locals, sorting out their plants after the winter and talk about the advantages of living in Castelnuovo – apart from the peace and quiet, the geothermal energy in the area means that centralised heating from October until May is practically free.

All of the murals are good, some are very striking. Maybe this was my favourite?

It’s a very pleasant and relaxing way to spend the afternoon, although a pity that the village isn’t better known. We drive back to Piombino through the green countryside for our last evening and sunset.