The ancient Etruscan city by the sea
A visit to Populonia is a memorable experience and the ideal destination for your holiday on the Etruscan coast, discovering culture, nature and history.
Stretching from the slopes of the Piombino headland to the Gulf of Baratti, the Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia encompasses the area where the Etruscan and Roman city of Populonia was built, well-known since antiquity for the production of iron.
Populonia is an enchanting place, in incomparable natural surroundings.
From the sea of the Gulf of Baratti, watched over by the tombs of warrior princes, to the Mediterranean scrub that covers the Etruscan necropoleis, with extraordinary rock-cut tombs, and up again to the acropolis, with its sacred buildings that look out over the islands of the Tuscan archipelago…This destination is a must if you want to discover Tuscan archaeology.
A trip that combines history, culture and nature
The Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia is divided into two areas that show visitors the transformation of the landscape and the city through the centuries:
- in the lower part you can see the two Etruscan necropoleis, the calcarenite quarries and the industrial zones where hematite, from deposits on Elba, was worked to obtain iron ingots;
- in the high part you can visit the Acropolis of Populonia, with its temples, buildings, mosaics and Roman roads, as well as the ruins of the huts of the first Etruscan settlement with the walls that surrounded the city on the side facing the sea of the Gulf of Baratti.