Since the 1700s, when the warm season arrives, the communities that inhabited the Maremma migrated towards the mountains and surroundings, giving rise to a long-lasting phenomenon that took - and retains - the name of "estatura".
The main reason for this annual exodus, however, is very different from the simple search for a holiday resort: in those days the Maremma plain was a partly marshy area, where malaria frequently appeared in summer. To escape from the disease, many sought shelter in the Amiata hills.
Today, summer in Monte Amiata is no longer linked to the original idea of refuge, but it's indeed an opportunity to immerse yourself in this green area of Tuscany, where the centuries-old chestnut trees provide shelter from the heat, while in the larger beech forest In Europe there are paths and itineraries for all tastes, where you can go trekking, running or experience orienteering, the "sport of the woods".
The many shelters are immersed in greenery and offer peace as they are ideal structures to rest after having explored the many facets of the mountain, from the historic medieval fortresses to the underground world made up of springs, caves and old mines.
