The Medicean Walls The walls were commissioned by
Cosimo I de Medici in 1564, in order to replace those from the 12th-14th centuries, as part of his policy of making Grosseto a stronghold to protect his southern border. The design was by
Baldassarre Lanci, and construction began in 1565. Until 1757 the exterior was surrounded by a ditch with an earthen moat. There were two main gates: Porta Nuova on the north and Porta Reale (now
Porta Vecchia) on the south. The walls are now used as a public park and walking area.
Religious architecture Cathedral The Romanesque cathedral, the main monument of the city, is named for its patron St. Lawrence, and was begun at the end of the 13th century, by architect
Sozzo Rustichini of Siena. Erected over the earlier church of Santa Maria Assunta, it was only finished in the 15th century (mainly due to the continuing struggles against Siena). The façade of alternate layers of white and black marble is
Romanesque in style, but is almost entirely the result of 16th century and 1816–1855 restorations: it retains decorative parts of the originary buildings, including Evangelists' symbols. The layout consists of a Latin cross, with transept and apse. The interior has a nave with two aisles, separated by cruciform pilasters. The main artworks are a wondrously carved baptismal font from 1470 to 1474 and the
Madonna delle Grazie by
Matteo di Giovanni (1470). The
campanile (bell tower) was finished in 1402, and restored in 1911.
Churches in the city centre •
Church of San Francesco. Situated on the square with the same name, it was built in the 13th century, initially a Benedictine, later Franciscan convent. The complex underwent several restorations and reconstructions: the
bell was rebuilt in the first half of the 20th century. Very characteristic is the wooden tabernacle that stands on the front and inside there are works of art from various historical periods. At the center of the cloister stands the characteristic Pozzo della Bufala (
Well of the Buffalo) in
travertine; another well is located in the square outside the church. •
Convent of Clarisse. Located on
strada Vinzaglio, the convent is annexed to the
Church of Bigi. The convent of Clarisse and the church of Bigi are now deconsecrated. The entire complex is characterized by the probable medieval origins, which was followed by a series of restorations in
Baroque style in the 17th century. Today the convent hosts the
Museolab Città di Grosseto and the university. •
Church of San Pietro. The oldest religious building in town, on Corso Carducci. •
Church of Misericordia (19th century). It belonged to various religious orders during the following centuries, before moving on brotherhood in the early decades of the 19th century. In the past, there were several well-preserved works of art currently on display in the section on Sacred Art of the
Archaeological and Art Museum of Maremma.
Churches outside the city walls •
Basilica of Sacro Cuore di Gesù, a
minor basilica built in 1958, it was designed by engineer
Ernesto Ganelli and is located on Via della Pace. •
Church of Medaglia Miracolosa, built in the early 20th century behind the Palazzo delle Poste in a
neo-Romanesque style. It has a bell tower. •
Church of San Giuseppe, located in the western part of the urban area, in the
Barbanella neighborhood, it was built in the 1930s in Romanesque Revival style. •
Church of San Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo, built on the eastern end of the urban area around the middle of last century, the style is Romanesque Revival. It was designed by engineer Ganelli and consecrated in 1951. •
Maria Santissima Addolorata, built in the 1970s in the neighbourhood of
Gorarella, it was designed by architect Carlo Boccianti. •
Santissimo Crocifisso, a modern parish church for the residents of the suburb of Porta Vecchia, it was designed by Carlo Boccianti. •
Santa Lucia, a modern church situated in the neighbourhood of Barbanella. •
Church of Santa Famiglia, designed by Enzo Pisaneschi and located in the neighbourhood of
Sugherella. •
Santa Teresa, consecrated in 2018, it is situated in the northern part of the urban area.
Abbeys •
Abbey of San Rabano, at the southern end of the town of Grosseto in the heart of the Natural Park of
Maremma. It was built in the Middle Ages as a Benedictine monastery, passed after the Order of the Knights of Jerusalem and it was finally abandoned in the 16th century. •
Abbey of San Pancrazio al Fango, situated between Grosseto and
Castiglione della Pescaia, in the heart of Nature Reserve Diaccia Botrona, not far from La Badiola estate. The church, which is in the form of ruins, was built in the Middle Ages on a slight hill overlooking the surrounding wetlands, once occupied by
Lake Prile near a building from Roman times.
Civil architecture Palazzi and other buildings Within the walls of Grosseto are the following buildings: •
Palazzo Aldobrandeschi, located on
Piazza Dante, is a
Gothic Revival building designed by architect
Lorenzo Porciatti as the seat of the province of Grosseto. • Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall), located on
Piazza del Duomo, to the left of the cathedral, was built between 1870 and 1873. •
Episcopal Palace. It hosts the offices and the curia of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Grosseto. • Palazzo Monte dei Paschi, it is a
Renaissance Revival palace designed by
Vittorio Mariani. •
Grand Hotel Bastiani, a Renaissance Revival style building designed by Mariani. •
Palazzo del Genio Civile, built in the early 20th century, it shows fine ceramic decorations. •
Palazzo Tognetti, an
Art Nouveau style building on three levels located on Corso Carducci. • Palazzo Moschini, it houses the
State Archives of Grosseto. • Palazzo Carmignani, a landmark building built in 1921. • Palazzo Chiarini, located in Via dell'Unione, it dates back to the 17th century. • Palazzo Berti. Overlooking on Corso Carducci in the front of the Church of San Pietro, it is a stately and elegant building built in 1894. • Palazzo Cappelli, located on Corso Carducci to the right of San Pietro, it is in a
neoclassical style building. • Palazzo Pallini, a neoclassical building of the early 20th century, it is located along Corso Carducci. •
Palazzo Mensini, built in 1898, it is the seat of the
Chelliana Library. •
Cassero del Sale, built during the 13th century to store the salt collected from the wetland of the coast. •
Casa del Fascio, it was built during
Fascism to host the local
National Fascist Party. •
Cinema Marraccini, former cinema opened in 1926 and closed in 2003. •
Grosseto Prison, a 19th-century jailhouse. • Villino Magrassi, an
eclectic-style villa built in 1927 by architect Francesco Pistelli. • Villino Mazzoncini, an early 20th-century villa on Via Mazzini, in front of the Theatre of Industri. Outside the walls of Grosseto are the following buildings: •
Villino Pastorelli, a
Gothic Revival villa built between 1908 and 1913 by the architect Lorenzo Porciatti. •
Villino Panichi, an Art Nouveau villa built in 1900 by the architect Porciatti. • Middle school "Giovanni Pascoli", a
middle school located in
Piazza della Vasca, it was originally built in 1923 by the engineer Giuseppe Luciani to accommodate boarding and a
normal school. •
Palazzo delle Poste (Post Office), located on Piazza della Vasca, it was designed by the architect
Angiolo Mazzoni in 1930, as a symbol of
Fascist architecture. •
Palazzo del Governo, it was designed by Vittorio Mariani and built in 1927. •
Cosimini Building, it is a multipurpose facility (bank, offices, apartments and shops) designed by
Ludovico Quaroni in 1970. •
Palazzina Tempesti, an Art Nouveau building on Viale Mameli. •
Villino Andreini, an Art Nouveau building on Viale Mameli.
Theatres •
Teatro degli Industri, located on Via Mazzini, it was built in the 19th century. It is one of the main sites of the culture of Grosseto. • Teatro Moderno, a modern theatre located outside the city walls. It was used for the trial against
Francesco Schettino in 2014–15.
Sculptures and memorials •
Canapone, a marble statue celebrating
Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, located in the center of Piazza Dante. •
Colonna dei bandi, a Roman column from
Rusellae located at the right side of the cathedral, it was traditionally used as the public spot to post municipal notices. • Grosseto War Memorial, originally built in 1896, it is located along the walls, on the Rimembranza bastion. It honors the victims of the Italian War of Independence, World War I and World War II. • Monument to Andrea da Grosseto, made between 1973 and 1974 by sculptor Arnaldo Mazzanti, it is located in Piazza Baccarini. It commemorates
Andrea da Grosseto, the scholar who translated the
Moral Treatises of
Albertanus of Brescia in 1268 providing a first example of Italian literary prose. • Monument to Ettore Socci, located in the
Piazza Ettore Socci, it was made in 1907 by
Emilio Gallori in honor of the politician
Ettore Socci.
Wells •
Pozzo dello Spedale (), made during the 15th century, it is located in the Piazza San Francesco in front of the right lateral side of the church of San Francesco. •
Pozzo della Bufala (), located in the courtyard of the cloister of San Francesco, was built by the
Medici to replace an existing well to supply water to the men who lived in the convent. •
Pozzo della Fortezza (), located in the Piazza d'Armi inside the Fortezza bastion that surrounds the fortified Citadel, it was built in the 16th century for supply water of the guards stationed there.
Others • The Etruscan-Roman site of
Rusellae. • Medieval buildings in the
frazioni of
Batignano,
Istia d'Ombrone and
Montepescali. •
Granducal villa of Alberese, built by the
Knights Hospitaller in the 15th century, and later used as residence by the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. ==Sports==