Geothermal and tourism – Biancane Natural Park, Tuscany receives Travelers’ Choice Award

Geothermal path at Biancane Natural Park, Tuscany/ Italy (source: visittuscany.com)

Alexander Richter 24 Aug 2020

The Biancane Nature Park, in Monterotondo Marittimo in Tuscany/ Italy, has just won the Travelers’ Choice 2020 award by Tripadvisor, a certificate of excellence which – thanks to the collection and analysis of reviews – certifies the widespread and continuous approval of visitors.

In fact, Tripadvisor awards Travelers’ Choice every year to those attractions or tourist facilities that consistently get very positive reviews from travelers, ranking in the 10% of the best properties on the popular travel platform. A recognition for which the municipal administration of Monterotondo Marittimo directly expresses satisfaction, which in recent years has invested in the enhancement and promotion of the Park, recognized as a central and strategic element of the tourist development of the Metalliferous Hills area.

It is in fact useful to remember that out of 10 Italian geoparks recognized by Unesco, 2 are Tuscan, one of which is represented by the Grosseto metalliferous hills (Tuscan Mining Unesco global geopark) where the Biancane are located, which in turn represent the most important Geosite of international importance (Gir) present in the area. It is no coincidence that the Biancane Natural Park is the main tourist attraction of the Monterotondo Marittimo area, where the natural presence of geothermal energy has given the place a unique beauty so as to attract 17  thousand accesses a year. Thus giving direct proof of the potential offered by geothermal energy, not only in terms of energy production from renewable sources but also as an opportunity for economic diversification – of which tourism is only one of the possible examples – of the territories that have always preserved the natural heat of land.

“The Biancane Natural Park – explain the Municipality – is a natural area rich in geothermal features and for this reason compared to the lands of Iceland. Walking inside you can admire shower heads, steam leaks from the ground, putizze and fumaroles. The name Biancane derives from the white of the rocks: the emissions of hydrogen sulphide cause the chemical reaction with the limestone transforming it into gypsum. The vapor comes out of the fractures of the rock at a temperature of about one hundred degrees centigrade. Sulfur crystallizations are formed at the steam outlets. All the rocks appear altered by the circulation of geothermal fluids with the appearance of wonderful and absolutely unique colors.”

The Biancane Park is always open, with free admission. At the Mubia, Biancane geomuseum, with the entrance ticket, the innovative augmented audio reality audio guides can also be requested to visit the Park listening to the external noises and the explanation of the narrator. Audio guides are available in 5 languages: Italian, French, English, German and Spanish.

Source: Greenreport