Producers from Maremma

While northern Tuscany is well known, with such spectacular cities as Florence, Siena and Lucca, the Maremma is a bit of a best-kept secret, partly because, unlike in Chianti- which is a famous agritourism destination, particularly for wine- few cellars in Maremma are open to the "general public," and the region is noticeably less touristy. For serious wine lovers, however, the Maremma, is an attractive region to visit. Towns like Castiglione della Pescaia (with its charming fishing port and castle), Pitigliano (an amazing village completely carved out of the rocky outcrop below, an ancient Jewish village) and Massa Maritima (with its quaint cobblestoned, Medieval streets) are all fabulous little gems- they are virtually free of the crowds. The Maremma is often thought of as Italy's "Wild West," both because of its landscapes and its winemaking. While in Northern Tuscany, the Etruscans were making wine thousands of years before, the Maremma was merely a wild, swampy backwater; viticulture was only introduced to the region in the 1800's, and it wasn't until about the 1980's that foreigners had even heard of Maremma wines. The man often credited with discovering the region's potential is Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, the founder of Sassicaia, and many of the famous "supertuscans" are produced here.