Hot springs and nature reserves within a day’s drive from Siena with so much character, you’ll feel like you’re the only tourist for miles. 

Civitella Paganico is a collection of small towns in the northernmost corner of the Maremma. In fact, this part of the province is so close to Pisa and Siena that it’s a popular day trip for the local city slickers who are looking for a day away from the hustle and bustle and want to immerse themselves in hot springs and natural reserves. 

Civitella Paganico is made up of two main towns, Civitella Marittima and Paganico. 

Civitella Marittima sits on a hill overlooking the road from Siena to Grosseto. Ruled by the Ardengheschi family in the 12th century, its history is entwined in the nearby Benedettina dei Santi Salvatore e Lorenzo Abbey. 

The town itself is small with a few relics left over from this medieval time and anyone with a passion for history will be able to identify the traces of Romanesque in the buildings. 

Paganico sits in the lowlands along an ancient road that once connected the Roman Roselle with Grosseto and was always fiercely contested for its access to the sea. As a result, Paganico was designed as a fortified town and remains a rare example of a Republic of Siena castle built ex novo and not on top of the foundations of an existing and earlier fortification. 

Paganico went up entirely in and around 1292, was demolished by the Duke of Lucca in 1328 and was rebuilt in 1334. Everything you see today can trace it roots back to this time, from the fortress to the four archways and ancient palazzo Pretorio on Corso Fagarè. 

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