Baratti is a village ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of the comune of

Piombino Piombino is an Italian town and ''comune'' of about 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Livorno (Tuscany). It lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma. Ove ...

in the

Province of Livorno The province of Livorno or, traditionally, province of Leghorn ( it, provincia di Livorno) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. It includes several islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, including Elba and Capraia. Its capital is the city of ...

, with roughly only 15 residents.Infos on italia.indettaglio.it
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History

Just like its neighbour

Populonia Populonia or Populonia Alta (Etruscan: ''Pupluna'', ''Pufluna'' or ''Fufluna'', all pronounced ''Fufluna''; Latin: ''Populonium'', ''Populonia'', or ''Populonii'') today is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Piombino (Tuscany, central Italy). As o ...

, Baratti has

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities ** Etrusca ...

origins, confirmed by various burial mounds found around the area and reflecting the colonization of this civilization. The main activity pursued here during the Etruscan period and then the Roman Empire was centered on the port of Populonia, which mainly dealt with goods such as iron ore from the nearby Island of Elba and finished metal products found in the local area. The accumulation of iron debris covered the entire area of Baratti overlooking the sea, allowing rare archaeological insight into the area's heritage. The first archaeological expeditions resulted in impressive discoveries preserved in the area. In 1968, a 6th-century silver vase, or anfora, from Antioch and lost in a shipwreck was found off the gulf. This was later renamed the "Anfora Baratti" and has been preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Populonia in Piombino.

Geography

Gulf of Baratti

This small bay sits between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north of the peninsula, which forms much of the town of Piombino. The basin lies between the promontory of Populonia and Torraccia, which is part of the municipality of San Vincenzo.

Location

Baratti stands on the Tyrrhenian coast, at the foot of

, which is 1.5 km away, 12 km from

, 15 from San Vincenzo, and about 80 km from

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

in the north and

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the Ombrone river. It is the m ...

in the south.

Places of interest

Baratti's location is ideal for tourists seeking a coastal retreat. It is included in the Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia and is one of the largest parks in the Val di Cornia. The influx of the archaeological tourist is secured not only by the presence of the Etruscan ruins but also because of the proximity of Populonia and its necropolis, which is reachable by a road that passes by Baratti. At the port stands the fifteenth-century Baratti Tower, while farther north along the bay is the chapel of San Cerbone. Nearby lies the Saldarini House, a remarkable testimony of contemporary architecture, designed and built by Vittorio Giorgini, an Italian Architect from Florence, Italy. The Saldarini house takes a beautiful organic shape, made of wire mesh and ferrocement. It was completed by the architect in 1962.

Bibliography

* Andrea Semplici: "''Parco Archeologico di Baratti e Populonia. Percorsi di visita per conoscere un territorio''". – Edizioni Polistampa –

Firenze Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, 2000

References

External links

Comune of PiombinoParks in Val di CorniaWhy you should visit the Gulf of Baratti, Tuscany
{{authority control Frazioni of Piombino Etruscan sites