Field trips

Civette

The estate surrounding "Torre Civette", the tower of the screech owls, is privately owned and opens its doors to participants of the course. The forest of maritime pine trees, evergreen oaks and cork trees runs along the coastline of the Punta Ala bay. Where the forest meets the sea there is a variety of sandy beaches and rocks.

Scarlino

The medieval town of Scarlino is found at an elevation of 250 meters (820 feet), surrounded by valleys and rolling hills providing a spectacular panorama. The highlights are the castle, the church of San Martino and the convent of San Agostino.

The Castle of Scarlino

The castle of Scarlino is on the highest end of this medieval town surrounded on the east side by the metalliferous hills and on the west, the coastal plain and seaside of Tuscany. The origins of the settlement date back to the end of the 10th century. During the 12th and the 13th century the town was ruled by Pisa, who restructured the castle into the architecture we know today. This is why it is also called the Pisan fortress. Because of important restoration work done in the last decades of the 20th century, a good portion of the ruins of the castle have been saved. During the summertime the castle becomes the entourage for many social events such as concerts, theatre and cinema.

Castiglione della Pescaia

A fisherman’s town, very picturesque with its narrow cobble stone streets, its towers and its castle. The coastal area is adorned by the colorful harbour and the inlands are characterised by interesting swamps in the natural park of 'Diaccia Botrona'.

Castle of Castiglione della Pescaia

The fortress arose in the 10th century as a simple watchtower built by Pisa, who ruled over the area in that period and was initially called the Pisan tower. Over the course of the following 2 centuries other 2 towers were built. The main body of the building and the surrounding walls of the courtyard however came about during the Renaissance and has since then undergone several reconstructions. The castle now serves as a private residence.

Casa Rossa Ximenes

The ‘Casa Rossa Ximenes’ was built in 1765 by Leonardo Ximenes as part of a bonifying project concerning the lake of Castiglione. The building is an imposing piece of engineering, regulating the flow of water between the swampy area of the natural park of ‘Diaccia Botrona’ and the nearby Tyrrhenian sea. Currently the building hosts the Multimedia Museum Casa Rossa Ximenes, that through video cameras is able to show animals in the park on a big screen in real time.

Il Sassone Winery

Il Sassone is a biological winery located on the rolling hills of Massa Marittima. On the 200 hectares of land surrounding the villa Domus Marethima are vineyards, olive groves, a little stream flowing through the woods of evergreen oaks and ponds. Next to their production of wine and olive oil, they also make a wide variety of fruit jams. Participants are welcome to use the swimming pool.

Portiglioni; Archeological Museum Portus Scabris

The museum was established in 2009 as a result of underwater archeological excavations between the years 2000 and 2001, preceding the construction of a touristic port in the small harbor of Portiglioni. The high concentration of archeological findings revealed an intense traffic of merchant ships dating back as early as the 3rd century B.C.