Montemerano: the heart-shaped town Located less than five minutes by car from Saturnia is Montemerano, a medieval town in Etruscan land which is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. The historic center of this town has a particular urban plan due to the presence of a double wall built in two different periods, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, which, seen from above, creates a heart-shaped profile. The highlight of the town is Piazza del Castello located at the highest point of the village and is accessed by passing through a magnificent arch, which in the past was the only access to the town. The tallest building is the ancient residence of the Aldobrandeschi family and then of the Basques and the Sienese vicars and it is here that the municipality of Montemerano was located until its suppression in 1783. A little further down, after piazza del campanile, is the parish church of San Lorenzo is a deconsecrated church converted to civilian use that looks towards Corso Italia the central street that leads to the church of San Giorgio. Along this road is the famous restaurant “Da Caino” which boasts 2 Michelin stars. After passing the arch in all its wonder, the Piazza della Chiesa opens up, a large inclined space in stone, from which the entire Maremma countryside opens up beyond the arches. The church of San Giorgio is of fourteenth-century origin but was consecrated as the plaque at the entrance reminds us in 1430. The building inside is completely covered with frescoes that reveal the perfect layering of the various phases of the church’s decorative process, from the late Gothic ones of the Last Judgment to those made by the Sienese masters who tell the legend of San Giorgio. Every 23 April the inhabitants of Montemerano celebrate this saint and every aspect of the festival revolves around the exploits of the knight Giorgio who after a hard battle managed to kill the very bad dragon that terrorized the town. Less epic, but probably much more realistic is the legend that is told in Montemerano compared to his most extraordinary piece of art kept in the church of San Giorgio the Madonna della Gattaiola. Legend has it that the famous Madonna was painted around 1450 by an artist of the Sassetta school nicknamed Maestro di Montemerano, but the work was a victim of the lightness of the parish priest who used the panel as a door to a barn, the priest to allow the his beloved cat to be able to go out and enter the warehouse freely created a hole in the table. Montemerano is one of the interesting places to visit also for its folklore traditions, from the aforementioned patronal feast dedicated to San Giorgio on April 23, to the colorful Feast of the Witches held every year on the first weekend on horseback with the feast of the dead ( between the end of October and the beginning of November) and celebrates the medieval origins of this village.