We headed for Massa Marittima on a not-so-great day but were pleasantly surprised when it didn't rain on us while there. We seem to surprise everyone with our presence, simply because there are no other visitors around. This city is charming, even in the middle of winter, though our Swedish waitress at a pizzeria on the main square said that it is "really boring" when the weather is bad because even the locals don't come out. And bad weather is what we've had the past week. Let's just say its been variable. In an hour we can have torrential rain, followed by sun and blue skies, minutes later driving wind, followed by more sun....etc. Fortunately, we are from a part of the country where this type of weather is not all that unusual and we simply put our rain gear on and head out. Some scenes from Massa Marittima below. For the record, Massa Marittima is the other town (Siena being one) that has a reputation for making excellent panforte. So as you can see, we had to purchase some (see shop below). A news article prominently displayed in the shop shows that Massa Marittima beat out Siena in a competition for the best tasting panforte in Italy. There you have it.
Massa Marittima used to be a mining town and its citizens prospered on the silver and copper deposits nearby. Many of the shops sell metal hangers, etc. The door pictured below is an example of the metal work here.
Also note the street sign, "Norma Parenti." I don't know who Norma is but my maiden name is Parenti. The Parenti's I know come from a rural village near Lucca so I doubt we can make claim to Norma.
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