Massa Maritime

Monday morning looked lovely with sunshine so we assumed the weather had taken a turn for the better. Massa Maritima is about 20 km from Montieri set in the Colline Metallifere (metal-bearing hills) from which lead, copper and silver ores were mined. It is a pretty town with lots of Romanesque architecture. The Citta Vecchia has a splendid sloping medieval square, overlooked by the buildings of Episcopal and lay powers.

 Off the Piazza are narrow streets.

Sarah had recommended a number of restaurants in Massa Maritima. The only one open at lunchtime was La Tana del Brillo Parlante which is in the Slow Food Guide. It must be the smallest restaurant I’ve ever been in - it could seat 11 maybe 12 at a push. The food was good though I am not totally convinced that the coarse pasta local to the area is entirely to my taste.

Just as we were finishing up we heard the thunder and knew what was to follow - more torrential rain. We hightailed it to the car reaching it as the first heavy drops fell. Earlier we had found a shop which had internet access and tried to access my emails but with no success. The man in charge was helpful but a bit strange so we paid our 1 euro and left. Once the rain started we decided to go to Follonica and look there for internet access. However, the rain refused to ease so we abandoned our quest returning instead to Montieri.