Populonia

Populonia is the living proof of the Etruscan civilization’s grandeur, not to mention of the importance that the area of Maremma had for the development of this ancient people. The only Etruscan city with access to the sea, Populonia was an ancient city-state of Etruria that lied on the hill from where it dominated the headland forming the gulf of Baratti. According to historians this town had several names, among which Pupluna, which is the one that survived to this day.

The ancient settlement is a sort of open-air museum that sprawls across the acropolis (the urban centre per se) on the highest part of the hill, and the necropolis (burial zone), placed downstream where it constitutes the Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia.

The acropolis represented the town’s core, where even today archaeological remains can be admired, dating back to different eras and thus narrating the development of this centre. The main emblematic attraction of Populonia is the fortress that is at the very top of a road that goes uphill featuring paved steps and with different side alleys branching off, dotted with artisans workshops.

Most of the documents and objects found in this area are now kept in the Archaeological Museum of Populonia in Piombino.