From the medieval Castrum to the port on the Fiora: Montalto told step by step.
This urban tour of Montalto di Castro will take you on a discovery of a village that has always been linked to the sea, the pastures, and the great transhumance routes of the Maremma Laziale. Walking through the alleys and squares of the historic center, your guide will tell you about the evolution of Montis Alti , the name by which the town first appears in a papal bull issued by Pope Leo IV in 852 AD. Between the 11th and 12th centuries, Montalto was repeatedly the scene of clashes and destruction: a famous episode is that of 1109, when Pope Paschal II, through the Norman troops, had the Castrum Montis Alti demolished to defeat Stefano dei Corsi. In the Middle Ages, the area developed a port at the mouth of the Fiora River , a strategic landing place for the Tyrrhenian routes and especially for the shipment of grain. The itinerary passes through the 14th-century historic center , a period in which Montalto reached its peak urban expansion and became a point of contention between the Papacy, the Municipality of Rome, the Orsini family, and the Prefects of Vico. The guide will intertwine political events with the transformations of the village, demonstrating how wars, economic crises, and the Avignon Papacy shaped the life of the community. One stage of the route is dedicated to ancient agricultural and pastoral practices and transhumance : since 1421, with the papal bull of Pope Martin V encouraging repopulation in order to monitor the Customs of the Pastures, Montalto di Castro has firmly linked its identity to the pastures, the seasonal movements of the flocks and the work of the shepherds. An ideal itinerary for those who want to discover Montalto di Castro not only as a coastal town, but as a crossroads of history, sea, and countryside in the heart of southern Etruria.
