Parco della Sterpaia: la riserva naturale toscana strappata all'abusivismo

Amidst so many bad stories we read every day, sometimes some good stories emerge. One of these concerns the Sterpaia Park, "returned to a new life”, one might say, paraphrasing the note written on the arch in Piazza della Repubblica in Florence. The approximately 296 hectares of the park—which extend along the Tyrrhenian coast of Livorno, in the gulf between Piombino and Follonica—are now breathing new life.

Sterpaia Park, a paradise that risked becoming hell

MLet's start from the beginning, going back a few centuries. Up to the last glimpse of the Five hundred, this territory was characterized by marshy areas which alternated with large woods and a few cultivated plots. Agriculture, herding, fishing, and hunting were practiced, salt was produced from seawater, and leeches were collected for therapeutic purposes.

In 1558, at the hands of the Medici family, there was the first intervention of hydraulic reclamation. A large part of the area was occupied by the so-called “Lake Piombino” that a couple of centuries later – thanks to Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, as part of the wider project for the reclamation of the Tuscan Maremma – was completely reclaimed by “colmata”, that is by depositing the sediments of the Cornia River.

Sterpaia Park saved from illegal building

Since the late 1960s Twentieth century they settled in the park (map) the first illegal constructionsIt is estimated that in the 1980s approximately 15,000 people. Finally, in 1998, the Municipality of Piombino definitively solved the problem, while in parallel the Park of the Sterpaia it was included in the system of protected areas of the Tuscany Region.

Today the almost 300 hectares that the municipality of Piombino has taken away from theillegal construction they are divided into 17 beaches, for a development of approximately 10 km of coast, 124 hectares between dune and retro-dune areas, 155 hectares between woods and agricultural clearings, and this whole paradise represents an environmental system of great importance, in which you can find dunes, wetlands, agricultural clearings, wooded areas and a rare portion of coastal humid forest.

The coast

The coast of the Sterpaia Park It has a slightly crescent shape, is quite deep, and slopes gently toward the sea. The sand is light, fine, and bordered by a narrow dune. On the road called the "geodesic" that connects Piombino in Riotorto the roads that lead to the access to the park and beachesThe parking system allows regulated access to the beaches, the profile of which is marked by some towers which historically had a very specific function.

A forest of centuries-old oak trees

The area of greatest importance, on the naturalistic plan, is the centuries-old oak forest remnants of the lowland forests that once covered much of the Italian coastal area and plains, later replaced by cultivated fields and urbanized areas. It is likely that the Sterpaia forest it was used in the past as a wooded pasture and that this type of practice has allowed its conservation.

There botanical peculiarity it is mainly in the large size of the drums Some trees, such as ash, Turkey oak, and oak, reach a circumference of several meters. Alongside these, other broadleaf trees grow, such as Turkey oak, three-lobed maple, field maple, field elm, and downy oak.

Trekking in the Sterpaia Park

The area is under a comprehensive protection regime which only allows controlled access with guided tours. Educational panels illustrate the historical aspects and environmental peculiarities of the park in general and of the forest in particular.

It is also possible to follow a poetic-artistic itinerary: near the most significant oaks in terms of size and shape, they have been positioned 9 bronze works of the Florentine sculptor Marcello Guasti, each accompanied by a poetic verse placed on the trunk of trees that fell spontaneously and were reused for this purpose.

The circular route, flat, lasting approximately 2 hours, is easy and accessible even to the disabled. Suggested clothing: country clothing, trekking shoes and, during the spring-summer period, it's best to bring mosquito repellent spray.

The beaches of the Sterpaia Park

The Sterpaia Park includes, for about 8 km, the beach, almost completely free, and the entire coastal strip of the gulf between Piombino And FollonicaSome of the largest dunes host strips of coastal pine forest where it is particularly pleasant to rest, in summer, in the shade of the stone pines and of the chirping of cicadas.

THE'coastal area it is organized with many services, refreshment points, shops, equipped play areas, picnic areas, parking areas for cars and camper vans, an infirmary and storage area, beach facilities, toilets and showers accessible to the disabled. beaches they are located in localities Perelli, Carlappiano, Mortelliccio, the pine tree, Carboniferous, Mozza Tower.

👉 Read also: The 10 most beautiful beaches in Maremma

👉 See on Google Maps: Perelli, Carlappiano, Mortelliccio, the Pine, Carboniferous, Mozz Towerto.

The beach resorts

Among the various beach resorts accessible there is the Pappasole and the adjacent municipal beach: from the car park, in front of the camping village From the namesake beach, a flat path leads to a refreshment area near the beach (with restrooms). The Pappasole restrooms are equipped with Job chairs and a series of platforms for easy access.

The contiguous one free beach It is accessible via the establishment's walkways, as are the showers. The entire area, including the picnic rest area of the pine forest and the various services, it is particularly suitable for the elderly and for families with children in strollers.
Another is the establishment Bath foam, accessible to all. People with mobility disabilities are permitted to drive right up to the entrance.

The bathroom The Shed, in the Perelli area, is an elegant and pleasant environment at the same time. The establishment is equipped with a special beach wheelchair that makes bathing easier, as well as paths along the shoreline and outside the wooden walkways which make all spaces accessible. The environment is also ideal for seniors and families with children in strollers.

A Blue Flag beach

Thanks to the synergy between Val di Cornia Parks, Municipality of Piombino, public companies and private managers, since 2008 the Sterpaia Park has been awarded the Blue Flag released by Fee demonstrating the environmental quality and the wide range of services provided on the Park's beaches.

Characteristics of the landscape of the gulf between Piombino and Follonica are the historic watchtowersThe oldest is the Mozza Tower, built in the first half of the sixteenth century to protect us from the Saracen raids that devastated our coasts for centuries.

Same function for the Salt Tower, built in the nineteenth century to contain the Moors, but which mainly had customs and health surveillance tasks. Also from the nineteenth century Carboniferous which, as the terminal of the railway that runs from Montebamboli mines It carried coal to the sea and was an important commercial port.

👉 Read also: Piombino, an ancient city overlooking the sea

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