The Bandite di Scarlino is a vast natural reserve that descends from the inland heights of the northern part of the Maremma in Tuscany down to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The territory involved, touching the municipalities of Scarlino, Castiglione della Pescaia, Follonica, and Gavorrano, preserves one of the wildest and most intact portions of coastline in the entire region, a fantastic place for those who love to experience the sea in a true and direct way.
The somewhat curious name of the reserve, which might suggest something forbidden, actually derives from the historical bandi that, in past centuries, were issued for the sale of plots of forest. The traces of human presence in this corner of the Maremma are, in fact, much older: the area retains evidence of settlements dating back to prehistory and the Etruscan era, as shown by the remains of a necropolis not far from the trails now walked by those who want to reach the golden beaches that adorn the coast. And indeed the absence of roads that lead directly to the shore is what has allowed this stretch of coastline to preserve an authentic and uncontaminated appearance.
The beaches of the Bandite di Scarlino can, in fact, only be reached on foot, by bicycle, or on horseback, crossing a dense network of trails that wind through pine groves and fragrant Mediterranean scrub. Three coves deserve a visit, each with a different character: Cala Violina, Cala Martina and Cala Civette.
Cala Violina
The most famous beach of the trio in the Bandite di Scarlino is undoubtedly Cala Violina, a small sandy cove enclosed between two headlands that over the years has become one of the symbolic destinations of this stretch of coast.
Its picturesque name stems from a peculiarity: its white, very fine sand is made up of tiny quartz grains and, when silence on the beach is at its peak, the sound produced by footsteps walking barefoot on it creates a rustle that vaguely resembles the soft vibration of violin strings.
A small paradise that combines a clear, pale coastline with particularly pristine waters, repeatedly awarded by Legambiente as one of Italy’s eleven most beautiful beaches, and perfect for snorkeling, Cala Violina is today protected by a limited-access system to curb the number of visitors in the summer and preserve its ecosystem. From the beginning of June until mid-September it is necessary to book your entry, paying a small contribution.
Cala Violina is reached by following a short trail, just over two kilometers long from the nearest paid parking lot at Val Martina. The walk in this corner of Maremma is pleasant: you pass a short ascent to cross a low hill, walking in the shade of a dense pine forest, which blocks the sea view even during the descent, until you emerge onto the sand and the beach appears as a dazzling, dreamlike vision. Cala Violina is also accessible by bicycle, with gravel bikes or mountain bikes.
Cala Martina
A little further north of Cala Violina you come to Cala Martina, a beach of rounded pebbles and stones worn by the sea, narrow and long, enclosed between Punta Francese to the north and the eponymous Punta Martina to the south. Its waters are as clear as those of the nearby beach, but the atmosphere here is even wilder and more secluded, helped by its lesser fame and the particular shape of the cove. Moreover, the crystalline water and the stony seabed make it ideal for snorkeling to explore its surroundings.
Beyond its natural beauty, it was precisely on this beach that, in 1849, Giuseppe Garibaldi embarked to flee toward Genoa, pursued by Austrian troops and with his heart still heavy from the loss of his companion Anita, who had died a few days earlier. After crossing the Apennines and Tuscany, escorted by a group of patriots who accompanied him from Florence to Scarlino at each stage, the hero of two worlds found in the Bandite woods his last refuge before leaving the peninsula together with his faithful commander Leggero. Even today, just before arriving at the cove, a small monument remembers that episode and the patriots who helped Garibaldi in those agitated days.
Cala Martina can be reached on foot and by bicycle. The best way to reach it is to follow the path that starts from the port of the Puntone di Scarlino, reaches Punta Francese, descends to the Garibaldi monument, and then leads to the beautiful rocky beach. The entire route measures about three kilometers of constant ups and downs in a coastal area that alternates forested sections with magnificent panoramas of the coast and to the west, with the possibility of glimpsing the silhouette of the island of Elba on the horizon.
Cala Civette
South of Cala Violina, instead, rises Cala Civette. It is separated from the nearby beach by the promontory of Punta Le Canne and bounded to the south by the mouth of the Alma river, just before the coast gives way to the long sandy stretch that characterizes Punta Ala. On a rounded promontory above the river mouth stands Torre Civette, an ancient building for observation now turned into a private residence, but whose white silhouette dramatically dominates the beach.
Like Cala Martina, this beach also has free access, reachable on foot by following the network of trails that connects the three coves of the Costiere di Scarlino, the protected sub-area of the Bandite that cares for the conservation of the coastline. To reach Cala Civette you drive along the Pian d’Alma local road, leave it at a small paid parking area, and take the path that leads to it. The route covers about two and a half kilometers, with a good amount of incline. The effort is rewarded just before the short, steep descent to the beach, when you overlook the northern promontory that closes the cove and can admire it from above in all its beauty.
Cala Civette is probably the least frequented of the Bandite di Scarlino beaches: a long tongue of golden sand behind which rises a dense pine forest, closed in by two rocky promontories. The sea here is often calm, the undertow lulls with its white noise as you venture into it, and the gaze drifts toward the blue horizon where sea and sky blend into one.
