wild Tuscany and Lazio

Animals in Italy in breathtakingly beautiful la Maremma. The sheer splendour and variety of wildlife in this very special part of Tuscany and Lazio will amaze you. And better still, because nearly all of Maremma is a national park or protected reserve and home to the last true wildernesses in Italy, when you take a walk or drive through the countryside you will be hard pressed not to see many of these animals along your route.

Maremma is a paradise for nature lovers young and old alike. Take a walk out on a weekend afternoon along the shoreline or in the woodlands and Maremma's wildlife and fauna will provide the live nature lesson for free!

From wild boar mud baths, to hovering birds of prey, groups of roe deer, a porcupine crossing the road, hermit crabs scurrying under the sand, jellyfish and dolphins... a visit to Maremma makes for wonderful memories.

The photograph above of Maremma's pink flamingos - "fenicotteri" - was taken at the Orbetello lagoon near Monte Argentario by alisonhulot.

The Wildlife in Maremma

In the woods and Mediterranean macchia

Animals in Italy: a beautiful Maremma red fox -Vvolpe - taken by alisonhulot in the Parco Naturale della Maremma, Alberese.

The wild animals that you will find in and around Maremma's woodlands and Mediterranean shrublands: they will catch your breath when you first see them in disbelief that you could be so close and then, when you have your eye in on where to look, you will easily spot them again and again. Some of Maremma's wildlife will even sit in the middle of the road for you to see quite unperturbed by your presence!

Along Maremma's spectacular coast

Maremma has a spectacular coastline of long sandy beaches, small rocky coves, protected dunelands, marshes and lagoons. Take a pair of binoculars with you and you will be treated to sights of rare species of birds, walk gently through reserves and you will spot indingenous frogs, and shoals freshwater fish... Take a camera and return home with images like this one of flamingos feeding or in flight.

Photo by kind permission of JamboJambo: taken in the autumn in the Riserva Naturale della Diaccia Botrona Castiglione della Pescaia (you can see the town with its historic medieval centre in the background, with the red house Casa Xiemes.

And in the sea

Maremma's western border lies with the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Seas: here you will find octopuses, squids, lobsters, dentex, Mediterranean barracuda, sponges, anenomes and spirographis, dolphins, whales and white sharks, beautiful red and yellow gorgonian coral reefs and many many more wonderful creatures in the waters, underwater caves, and living in her shipwrecks.

But you don't need to go diving to see many of them: I took the photograph of this jellyfish along the Silver Coast by the fishing boats in pretty Porto Santo Stefano in Monte Argentario.

The snakes

Are there snakes in Italy? Yes, there are! But only a few and only one is poisonous. Find out more about them in this page: snakes in Italy. Be forwarned: for those of you who have a fear of snakes (and that includes me!) I've included photographs.

Maremma Wild Boar

Animals in Italy: Wild Boar Sow piglets

All you could possibly want to know about the wild boar that live in Maremma: one-hundred and seventy five wild boar facts page one and wild boar facts page two.

Plus wild boar pictures and wild boar videos from this very special part of Tuscany and Lazio.

Maremma's Farm and Domestic Animals

Maremmano Horses

Once running wild in Maremma, the Maremmano horses are an intrinsic part of Maremma's history. Ridden today by the few Butterei - cowboys - that remain (this part of Maremma's tradition is under serious threat of disappearing) they were the horse of choice for herding Maremano cattle.

Find out more and where you can ride them today in Maremma.

Maremmana Cattle

Animals in Italy: Maremmana cattle

Grazing freely on reclaimed marshlands right down into the dunes along Maremma's coast in Maremma Grossetana and into Maremma Laziale, the Maremmana cattle with their characteristic long black-tipped horns are a symbol of Maremma. Still tended to by the Butteri cowboys, their intense flavoured lean meat is sought after for the famous "bistecca Fiorentina" - Florentine steak. Their future, however, is unsecure. Maremmano cattle.

Fun and Interesting Animal Facts for Kids

If you are planning a trip to Maremma then why not print out this page as a quick reference to keep your little ones amused or simply to impress them with your knowlege on your drives around - we all know how difficult it is to keep kids happy on a long journey - or whilst you are out exploring on a walk or trek... fun and strange animal facts for kids.

I know that the creature above looks like a large caramel sweet, but it isn't!