The Medicean Walls of Grosseto

The Medici Walls of Grosseto are a rare example of city walls that have survived intact to the present day. The first city walls of which we can still recognize a few remains date back to the Sienese domination, later after Grosseto with all the Sienese state was absorbed by the Grand Duchy (1557), Francesco I de 'Medici ordered the construction of new walls, adequate to withstand fire and siege techniques of the time. The work was completed in the spring of 1593, the perimeter measures 2900 metres, the shape is hexagonal (irregular) and in the corners are positioned six angular bastions one of which is a pentagonal fortress that has incorporated the ancient cassero senese. Until 1757, moreover, the walls were surrounded by a moat and an embankment in beaten earth. Over the years, however, the walls lost their strategic importance, and once demilitarized (1800) were intended for public use and embellished with tree-lined streets and gardens. This still allows us to take long and rewarding walks on the ramparts that once stood in defense of Grosseto.