Grosseto: The snubbed Italian town that's now winning awards

Grosseto: The snubbed Italian town that's now winning awards Katie McKnoulty Grosseto is the first Italian city to win the European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism award Despite the world's obsession with Tuscany as a holiday destination, Grosseto seemed to have been left off the tourist map. Despite the world's obsession with Tuscany as a holiday destination, and Florence and Siena just an hour away, Grosseto – with its historical city centre, wild nature reserve and beaches on its doorstep – seems to have been left off the tourist map, visited by few travellers – or even by Italians. Getty Images The Regional Park of Maremma stretches from the Uccellina mountains to the Tyrrhenian Sea Grosseto's historical city centre, enclosed by remarkably intact medieval walls and filled with centuries-old buildings, is as visually rich and evocative as any Italian "centro," but it's the city's natural attractions that truly set it apart. Katie McKnoulty Grosseto will attract visitors looking for a slower, more meaningful travel experience in Italy Grosseto's approach to tourism offers a blueprint for how sustainable travel can work in Italy, taking taken all that tourists love about the country – its natural beauty, authenticity, traditional culture, agricultural practices and history – and repurposing and updating it.