Murlo

The village of Murlo has Etruscan origins; its name, from the Latin murulus (a walled place), speaks volumes. It holds a dominant position at the top of a wooded hill overlooking the Crevole valley, bordering on the Val di Merse and the Crete of the Val d’Arbia area, facing the Valley of the Ombrone and Montalcino hill.
Its position is connected to the mysterious Etruscans, as shown by the finds at the Poggio Civitate and the Poggio Aguzzo. These relics suggest that the Etruscans may originally have come from Murlo. This spot, which is particularly rich in minerals and has fertile land, could have been chosen as their settlement rather than being just a point on their migration, as has been thought.
The twelfth-century Castle of Murlo is well worth a visit. It stands in the impressive countryside of the Crete Senesi among the wooded hills of the Maremma.
Another unmissable stop is the Museo Archeologico in the village, where you can see the artefacts from the Etruscan Antiquarium Civitate.
The countryside around forms part of the Nature Reserve of the Basso Merse, which includes the last few kilometres of the Merse river and the final section of the Farma river. The Reserve was set up mainly to protect a very rare species of otter, the most endangered mammal in Italy.