Tuscany · Pisa
Casale Marittimo
A concentric stone borgo above the Val di Cecina, built where a seventh-century BC Etruscan outpost of Volterra once stood.
Known for
ETRUSCAN PRINCES
Two stone warrior statues from the Casa Nocera necropolis, seventh century BC, now in the Museo Archeologico of Florence.
CONCENTRIC BORGO
Medieval village of concentric stone streets recorded as a Gherardesca castle from 1004, holding both Borghi più belli and Bandiera Arancione marks.
VAL DI CECINA VIEW
Open prospect from the upper streets over the Cecina valley to the Tyrrhenian, the sea visible on clear days less than ten kilometers out.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J12°
- F14°
- M15°
- A18°
- M22°
- J27°
- J31°
- A31°
- S27°
- O22°
- N17°
- D13°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Casale Marittimo rises on a hill above the Val di Cecina, fifty kilometers southeast of Pisa, the Tyrrhenian coast visible from the upper streets. The settlement here was an outpost of Etruscan Volterra in the seventh century BC; the necropolis of Casa Nocera turned up two stone statues of warrior princes, now in the Archaeological Museum of Florence, among the oldest figurative sculptures in European art. The medieval centro is recorded as a castle of the Counts of Gherardesca by 1004, the streets arranged in concentric rings inside the old walls, stone houses pressed against the slope.
Casale Marittimo carries both the Borghi più belli d'Italia and Bandiera Arancione marks, unusual for a commune of just over a thousand inhabitants. The Chiesa di Sant'Andrea sits on the foundations of an older parish church; Palazzo Rocca and the eighteenth-century Santa Maria delle Grazie close the small loop of the centro storico.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Casale Marittimo’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
How to get there
From Florence / Pisa (PSA), about 1 hour by car.
Bologna (BLQ) is about 2h 36m away.
By car from the centre of Pisa 57 minutes, Siena 1h 36m or Florence 1h 48m.
Coming by train into Livorno Centrale? Casale Marittimo is about 47 minutes away by road.
What to see
Centro storico
Concentric ring of stone streets inside the medieval walls, with houses pressed against the slope and Palazzo Rocca at the top.
Chiesa di Sant'Andrea
Parish church rebuilt on the ruins of an older pieve, the principal religious building of the borgo.
Santa Maria delle Grazie
Eighteenth-century church on the lower edge of the centro storico, simple Tuscan late-Baroque façade.
Necropoli di Casa Nocera
Etruscan burial complex from the seventh century BC, where the warrior princes statues now in Florence's archaeological museum were found.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Casale Marittimo fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
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.
Sagra della Tagliata Mare e Terrafood festival
usually held across July and August. Visit Tuscany - Calendario Ufficiale Eventi
Living here
- Population 1,051
- Off the beaten pathi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Florence / Pisa, 1 h 3 min drive
- Regional capital Firenze, 1 h 48 min drive
Common questions
- What is Casale Marittimo known for?
- Casale Marittimo is a concentric stone borgo at 214 meters above the Val di Cecina, built where a seventh-century BC Etruscan outpost of Volterra once stood.
- Where is Casale Marittimo?
- Casale Marittimo is a comune in the province of Pisa, in Tuscany.
- What is the nearest airport to Casale Marittimo?
- Florence / Pisa (PSA), about 1 hour by car.
- How long is the drive from Pisa to Casale Marittimo?
- About 57 minutes by car.
- When is the best time to visit Casale Marittimo?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Casale Marittimo?
- Yes. Sagra della Tagliata Mare e Terra. July is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Casale Marittimo?
- Chiusdino, Castiglione d'Orcia and Castelnuovo di Val di Cecina.
- How many people live in Casale Marittimo?
- 1,051 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 214 m
- Population: 1,051
- Surface area: 14.29 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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