The Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia
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The Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia

The archaeological park of Baratti and Populonia is located in Baratti, in the municipality of Piombino ( LI ). It is an area of about 80 hectares set amidst the slopes of the Piombino headland and the Gulf of Baratti coastline. It is a part of the Val di Cornia Parks and was opened in 1998, to allow some archaeological areas and the new ruins discovered during digs in the area from 1996 to become accessible.

The park includes the area where the Etruscan and Roman city of Populonia stood. The city was known for its busy iron production industry from ancient times, and includes a significant part of the Etruscan and Roman town of Populonia, separated into two visiting areas to show the transformation of the landscape and the city over the centuries: 

• two Etruscan necropolises can be seen in the bottom part, with the calcarenite quarries and the industrial districts, where haematite from the Isle of Elba mines was processed to make iron ingots.
• the top part allows you to visit the Populonia acropolis, with its temples, buildings, mosaics and Romanroads, the remains of the huts from the first Etruscan settlement and the walls that surrounded the city on the sea side.