The Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia is located in the township of Piombino

Piombino

Piombino is an Italian town and comune of circa 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Livorno . It lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma.-Overview:...

 (Province of Livorno

Livorno

Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...

) and covers about 80 hectares between the slopes of the promontory of Piombino and the Gulf of Baratti coast. It is part of The Parks of Val di Cornia and was opened in 1998 for visitors to view some ot the archaeological sites and remains found in the new digs archaeological conducted in the area since 1996.

The park includes several areas from the ancient Etruscan

Etruscan cities

Etruscan cities flourished over most of Italy during the Roman Iron Age, marking the farthest extent of Etruscan civilization. They were gradually assimilated first by Italics in the south, then by Celts in the north and finally in Etruria itself by the growing Roman Republic.That many Roman cities...

 city of Populonia

Populonia

Populonia or Populonia Alta today is a frazione of the comune of Piombino . As of 2009 its population was 17...

, the necropolis

Necropolis

A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...

 of San Cerbone, Casone and the grotto, and the cave of calcarenite

Calcarenite

thumb|250px|The [[Pietra di Bismantova]] in central [[Italy]] is an example of calcarenite formation.Calcarenite is a type of limestone that is composed predominately, more than 50 percent, of detrital sand-size , carbonate grains...

. Inside the park is an experimental archeological laboratory.

There are currently several proposed routes:

• San Cerbone necropolis, with tombs from the 7th-6th century BC;
• the "Via delle Cave": from fields of the Arpa, a path leading to Etruscan cave of calcarenite (or stone bench), with tombs carved into the rock of the necropolis from the 4th-3rd BC
• the "Via del Ferro" a path along the coast with the experimental archeology laboratory, which offers a glimpse into the industrial districts of the city, where housing buildings for the manufacture of iron
  Iron
  Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
  
   can be found dating from the (6th-3rd century BC);
• nature trails along the edge of the Caves.

In 2007 a third area of the park was opened, the acropolis, which is located at the Castle in upper Populonia and includes remains from the most ancient Etruscans, up to the Romans.

See also

• Collezione privata Gasparri
• Baratti (town)
• Populonia
  Populonia
  Populonia or Populonia Alta today is a frazione of the comune of Piombino . As of 2009 its population was 17...
  
  
• Necropoleis of Populonia

External links

• Parchi della Val di Cornia