An almost unique feature of Maremma Grossetana is its ability to offer you two contrasting experiences on the same day. In certain seasons, you can enjoy the sea and the snow, even on the same day. Hard to believe?

Thanks to the short distances of this harsh and very varied land, the lifestyle here has always stood midway between maritime and mountain culture. From the coasts, to the hills, to the mountains. Practically, it offers a collection of all Italian landscapes.

In March there are some wonderful days when you can choose between the beach and the snow, or maybe both! If you leave for Mount Amiata on the right weekend (just 70 Km from here), you can ski at 1700 metres altitude in the morning and hit the beaches in Castiglione della Pescaia for a beach volley game or a sail in the afternoon after an hour's drive.

Sunny, dry and not very windy days at the beginning of spring (usually the second two weeks of March) offer the perfect weather to play football in a T-shirt and fantastic snow, often even better than during the Christmas period.

The ski resort lies in the largest and perhaps most beautiful beech forest in Europe. On beautiful days, the views are breath-taking, sweeping from Lake Bolzena in the south, to Tyrrhenian Maremma coast in the west and the hills of Siena in the north. 10 Kilometres of alpine ski runs, not long but very varied and fun, 8 lifts, plus 10.5 km of cross ski trails. Worth mentioning is the Marsiliana-Macinaie route across the beech forest of the Marsiliana plain, at the location named Cantore, with ups and downs and routes suitable for everyone.

Another route with very fast descents leads to the Macinaie lawn, a succession of short and steep ups and downs for more experienced skiers. A 5km forest road suitable for excursions in fresh snow departs from location Primo Rifugio.

There are also many options for those who love snowshoe (snow racket) hiking. The most beautiful hikes depart from Pianello Vetta and lead to Croce on the north-east side; the most challenging route goes from Pian della Piscina to Madonnina degli Scouts. For more information on hikes, night visits or torchlight processions, visit Consorzio Terre di Toscana.

If you want to perform some snowboard tricks far from the ski slopes and the crowd, try the newly built Snow Park in Macinaie. It offers one 4-metre jump, one 6-metre rail box, one 3 + 3 metre kink box, one jersey, one pole jam + one 1.5-metre jump, one 6-metre double-tube hand rail.

A beautiful feature from the travel section of daily newspaper "La repubblica", discusses our Amiata volcano.