The Maremma is fast becoming one Tuscany’s most popular tourist destinations. It is made up of a collection of vastly different towns and small cities that offer a unique perspective into country Italian life. Here the locals are very much locals – humble, friendly and a little embarrassed about being on the international stage. The Maremma has such a wide variety of attractions from Roman ruins to free hot springs, mountain tops and spectacular beaches. This is just a taste of what the Maremma has to offer. The sights that you simply cannot miss.

These are the places that are boasted about on TripAdvisor and included in every past visitor’s must-see list. And there is no rhyme or reason to them.

It all starts with my favourite sight, a perennial inclusion in almost all of my top 10 lists. Pitigliano is beautiful at any time of the day or night, in any season and any weather condition. But the most breathtaking feature of this town on the tufo rock is its skyline. Amazing during the day, even better at night.

A close second has to be the Cascate del Mulino. Don’t be fooled by the million entries on TripAdvisor, there is only one Cascate del Mulino. The breathtaking and FREE hot spring that flows from a waterfall in the countryside to fill naturally carved pools.

From natural to manmade, Massa Marittima’s soaring Cathedral and Grosseto’s picturesque Piazza Dante are made for photo ops. There is so much history and heritage compressed into these spaces, you could spend the afternoon wandering from one corner to the other.

Immerse yourself back into nature with a ferry ride to Giglio Island, the island of castles and uncontaminated beaches. Don’t want to leave the mainland? Amble down the Strada Panoramica from Porto Santo Stefano to Porto Ercole behind the wheel of a Fiat 500, or not, and find yourself an isolated stretch of sand and sea. Or head into the mountains, all the way up to Monte Amiata’s peak, snow-capped in winter, verdant green in summer and always topped by a cast iron cross that is so tall and so imposing, it might be visible from space. It’s not, but you can still tell people it is anyway!

And finally to rest at Capalbio’s Tarot Garden, a marvel of modern art and story of love, illness and death told in a million tiny mosaic pieces.