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Stemma di Capalbio

Tuscany · Grosseto

Capalbio

A walled hilltop borgo in the southern Maremma, donated to the Abbey of Tre Fontane by Charlemagne.

Known for

  • GIARDINO DEI TAROCCHI

    Niki de Saint Phalle sculpture park built between 1979 and 1998, twenty-two ceramic figures of the Major Arcana, opened in 1998.

  • LA PICCOLA ATENE

    Nickname acquired in the late twentieth century for the borgo's hold on Roman political, literary and academic figures who summer here.

  • MAREMMA

    Southernmost hilltop borgo of the Maremma grossetana, with territory running from Monte Calmata to the Lago di Burano coastal reserve.

When to visit

Best · May–Sep

  • J12°
  • F14°
  • M15°
  • A17°
  • M22°
  • J27°
  • J31°
  • A31°
  • S26°
  • O21°
  • N16°
  • D13°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 27° and coldest in February at 14°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: Bernardino da Siena, 20 May

Why come

Capalbio stands twelve kilometers from the Tyrrhenian coast, the last hill town before the border with Lazio. Charlemagne gave the land to the Abbey of Tre Fontane in 805; the Aldobrandeschi held it through the medieval period, the Orsini built the castle, and Cosimo I de' Medici took it in 1555. It became an independent commune in 1960.

The medieval walls and the fortress define the centro storico at the top of the hill; the surrounding territory drops from the wooded uplands of Monte Calmata down to the coastal reserve at Lago di Burano. The sculpture park sits four kilometers south of the walls, apart from the old town rather than within it. A borgo that governed itself late, held by abbey, feudal lords and Medici in turn before its own commune, and a territory that runs in one line from hilltop stone to coastal wetland.

We've been

Feature from our free newsletter

Maremma | The Last Cowboys of Tuscany

Everyone driving from Florence down to Rome crosses the Maremma without noticing, because there is nothing on that stretch to make them slow down. The hills give out. The cypresses stop. What opens up instead is flat open country, wheat and grass running off to a few low rises, the least Tuscan-looking part of Tuscany, a landscape you would call dull if you were being honest and which most guidebooks solve by leaving out.

From the Capalbio letter, July 2026

Read the full feature on anywhereitaly.com

How to get there

From Rome (FCO), about 2 hours by car.

Florence / Pisa (PSA) is about 2h 51m away.

By car from the centre of Siena 2 hours or Pisa 2h 45m.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming from Rome?

Every town within reach of Rome airport.

Capalbio — photo 1
Capalbio — photo 2

What to see

  • Rocca Aldobrandesca

    Medieval fortress at the top of the borgo, later expanded by the Orsini, with a square tower and battlements that overlook the Maremma.

  • Mura medievali

    Two concentric circles of walls enclosing the centro storico, with a walkable parapet that opens onto views toward the Argentario.

  • Giardino dei Tarocchi

    Sculpture park four kilometers south of the borgo, its ceramic and mirrored figures set among holm oaks.

  • Chiesa di San Nicola

    Romanesque parish church inside the walls, restored in the seventeenth century, with a fifteenth-century fresco of the Madonna with saints.

  • Oasi Lago di Burano

    WWF-managed coastal lagoon reserve at the mouth of the comune, a major migration stop for waterbirds between Africa and northern Europe.

The slow-trip planner

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We recommend

Where to eat and stay

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

Living here

  • Population 3,838
  • Off the beaten pathi
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Rome, 1 h 53 min drive
  • Regional capital Firenze, 3 h 1 min drive

Common questions

What is Capalbio known for?
Capalbio is a walled hilltop borgo at 217 meters in the southern Maremma, donated to the Abbey of Tre Fontane by Charlemagne.
Where is Capalbio?
Capalbio is a comune in the province of Grosseto, in Tuscany.
What is the nearest airport to Capalbio?
Rome (FCO), about 2 hours by car.
Can you get to Capalbio without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Siena to Capalbio?
About 2 hours by car.
When is the best time to visit Capalbio?
Best in May–Sep. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Capalbio?
Yes. Sagra del Cinghiale. September is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Capalbio?
Ascea, Maratea and Bibbona.
How many people live in Capalbio?
3,838 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 217 m
  • Population: 3,838
  • Surface area: 187.36 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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