"Maremma" is the coast (and the hills near the coast) of Southern Toscana. In ancient times it was almost entirely covered by wetlands, and the Spanish (who ruled over it in the seventeenth century) gave its name after the word "marismas", which means "marshes". It was for centuries a land of pain and death because of malaria, as the folk song reminds:

Everybody's saying Maremma, Maremma...
But it seems to me a harsh Maremma.
The bird that flies there loses its feathers
The young man that goes there loses his sweetheart.

Cursed be Maremma, Maremma,
cursed be Maremma and those who loves it.
...
My heart shivers when you go there
for fear to never see you again.

Today most of marshes have been drained and Maremma is a sweet country, rich of history, tradition, beautiful landscapes and biodiversity (the survived wetlands are natural parks).
I got in touch with Maremma for the first time at the age of seven, during summer holidays, and it was love at first sight. Born in a large town, its natural parks were my first experience of wilderness (at least as you can expect it in Italy). Today it is for me the centre of the universe and I frequently spend my free time going there. In these pages you can find my best photos made since the year 2000; I hope that they will be able to convey the magic of this wonderful place.