Monterotondo Marittimo by Bike: Riding Where the Earth Breathes
Monterotondo Marittimo is a stone hilltop village above the Gulf of Follonica, in the geothermal heart of the Metalliferous Hills, province of Grosseto: steam vents, the white Biancane park, a medieval Rocca and the loggias of Piazza Casalini. For riders it has a 1,500 m pump track, e-bike charging stations, a 90 km signed loop with repair stations, and four official loops that start from the village.
The short version: facts and questions
- Where
- Hilltop borough in the Metalliferous Hills, overlooking the Gulf of Follonica; Marittimo means of Maremma, not by the sea
- Known for
- Fumaroles, the Biancane and boric acid: Europe's largest producer from 1812, geothermal electricity since 1916
- Official routes
- Four loops from the borough: gravel 31 and 40 km, road 78.6 and 79.6 km
- For riders
- 1,500 m pump track near the sports hall, e-bike charging stations, a 90 km signed loop with 14 rest areas and 10 repair stations
Why is it called Monterotondo Marittimo if it is not by the sea? The name comes from Mons Ritundus, then Monte Ritondo. Marittimo does not refer to the sea, although on clear days you can see it from the village's terraces: it literally means of Maremma, and was added in the early twentieth century to mark the village's position in the coastal hinterland.
What are the Biancane? A geothermal park just north of the village, where steam rises from the ground. Its white rocky domes get their colour from hydrogen sulphide in the steam, which turns limestone into gypsum. Inside the park are the MUBIA geomuseum, two lagoni including the Lagone Cerchiaio, geothermal wells, the first free-steam power plant of 1946 and the Acqua di Chiorba thermal spring.
Which routes start from Monterotondo Marittimo? Four official loops from the borough: MR Gravel 1, Castle & Crags, 31 km among the mining castles of Cugnano and Rocchette Pannocchieschi; MR Gravel 2, the Fumarole Loop, 40 km through the Terme di Bagnolo and the Lago Boracifero; MR Road 1, 78.6 km through Frassine, the Montioni park and Massa Marittima; MR Road 2, 79.6 km through Montieri, Radicondoli, Castelnuovo di Val di Cecina and Sasso Pisano.