A slow road trip among the steam jets of the Colline Metallifere and Larderello

There is a Tuscany that looks like no postcard. No rows of cypresses or neatly combed hills: here the land really does steam. The Colline Metallifere, between the provinces of Pisa, Siena and Grosseto, are an almost lunar landscape where vapour rises from underground, silvery pipes run through the woods and old silver and copper mines tell of centuries of hard labour. It is an area that mass tourism happily skips, drawn elsewhere by the art cities and the sea: precisely for this reason you get to explore it in peace, on roads that are all yours.

Larderello and geothermal energy

The heart of the journey is Larderello, a hamlet of the municipality of Pomarance, where geothermal energy is not an abstract idea but the engine of the place. Here you visit the Geothermal Museum, which explains how electricity is produced from natural steam, a story that begins in the nineteenth century and makes this corner of Tuscany a place unique in the world. Around the village you can see the boron-bearing steam jets and the great cooling towers puffing out white clouds: an industrial landscape set in greenery that surprises anyone expecting only vineyards.

From Larderello it is worth going up to Sasso Pisano and Monterotondo Marittimo, where you find the so-called natural geothermal phenomena: bubbling pools, fumaroles and warm ground. At Monterotondo Marittimo you can walk the Parco delle Biancane, a loop trail among rocks bleached white by the vapours, springs and fumaroles, with panels explaining the geology of the place. It is a short but striking walk, perfect for understanding up close what it means to walk on living earth.

The mining area

The mining side is discovered further south, towards Massa Marittima, a splendid medieval village with its square and cathedral, home to the Mining Museum, which is visited by descending into galleries dug out of the rock. Massa Marittima is also a good base for the night: it has restaurants, inns and a lively but never chaotic atmosphere. From here you can head over to the National Technological and Archaeological Park of the Colline Metallifere, a network of sites that ties together geology, industrial archaeology and nature.

Between one stop and the next, the pleasure is in the slow drive. The provincial roads rise and fall through woods of holm oak and chestnut, cross tiny villages like Castelnuovo Val di Cecina and constantly offer glimpses of the steam rising from the valleys. It's best to stop often, unhurried, and let the landscape set the pace.

How to get there

To get there, the car is the natural choice: this area lives on distances and secondary roads, and public transport is scarce. You come in easily from the coast, leaving the Aurelia dual carriageway at Cecina or Venturina, or descending from the interior towards Volterra, which from the north makes a fine gateway. From Volterra to Larderello the road is already part of the journey.

When to go

The best time is spring, in April and May, when the woods are a fresh green and the air is cool, or October, with the chestnut groves turning yellow and the first vapours more visible in the colder air. In these months the temperatures are pleasant for walking and the area's few visitors thin out even further: you can end up having the trails of the Biancane almost to yourself. Summer here can be hot and less pleasant for walks among rocks and fumaroles.

A practical tip: bring hiking boots with sturdy soles, because around the geothermal phenomena the ground is hot, at times slippery and crusty, and always keep to the marked paths without going near the bubbling pools. Keep an eye too on the opening hours of the Larderello museum, which can vary in the low season: a phone call or a check before you set off will save you from finding the doors closed after driving all the way up there.