Tuscan Maremma Grand Detour - South Loop

This loop covers the southern half of the Tuscan Maremma Grand Detour - a cycling journey through mountains, Etruscan villages, hills, and sea. The landscape changes with every stage: from the forests of Monte Amiata to the tufa cliffs of the Tuscia, from Maremma scrubland to the Orbetello Lagoon.

From Grosseto, the heart of the Maremma, you ride up the Ombrone valley to Campagnatico, then tackle the gradual climb toward Monte Amiata, through the vineyards of Montecucco and medieval villages like Cinigiano, Arcidosso and Santa Fiora. From the Amiata forests, you descend into the Etruscan tufa landscape, where Sorano, Sovana, and Pitigliano guard the Vie Cave — narrow corridors carved into the rock by the Etruscans — and ancient necropolises. The journey continues to the Terme di Saturnia, the hills of Montemerano and the views from Capalbio, all the way to the Orbetello Lagoon, where the plain meets the sea and flamingos turn the water pink. From here, you can add an extra stage to explore the Argentario Coast or the island of Giglio.

The main route then heads back inland, crossing the hills where Morellino di Scansano is produced — a DOCG red wine made from Sangiovese grapes, rooted in this land since Etruscan times — through the landscape of the Parco Naturale della Maremma, closing the loop beneath the Medici walls of Grosseto.

Eight days between the inland Maremma and the coast: the Tuscany most cyclists haven’t discovered yet.

Technical details:

• Overall difficulty: Medium-Hard (for cyclists with good fitness)
• Predominant terrain: Mixed (low-traffic secondary roads and well-maintained white gravel roads, ideal for gravel or trekking bikes)
• Total distance: 366 km