Poggio Ballone is a hilly

massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...

in southern

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, near the northern-central coast of the

Maremma The Maremma (, ; from Latin , "maritime and) is a geographical region located between Lazio and Tuscany, Central Italy. The biggest city is Grosseto. The region, with a long history, is traditionally populated by the '' butteri'', mounted c ...

region. It forms the southwestern extension of the Colline Metallifere, separating the Pecora River plain from the

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and a ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the province of Grosseto and the main city of the Maremma region. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the ...

plain, crossed by the Bruna and

Ombrone The Ombrone (Latin: ''Umbro'') is a river situated in the provinces of Grosseto and Siena, central Italy. The Ombrone's source is at San Gusmè, near Castelnuovo Berardenga, on the south-eastern side of the Monti del Chianti. After a twistin ...

rivers. The massif, spanning the municipalities of

Castiglione della Pescaia Castiglione della Pescaia (; abbreviated by locals as Castiglione or Castiglioni), is an ancient seaside town in the province of Grosseto, in Tuscany, central Italy. The modern town grew around a medieval 12th century fortress () and a large fishe ...

, Gavorrano, and

Scarlino Scarlino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southwest of Florence and about northwest of Grosseto. Scarlino borders the following municipalities: Castiglione della Pescaia, ...

, reaches its highest point at 631 meters above sea level. Several smaller hills and streams originate from its slopes, including the Alma River, which flows into the sea south of Torre Civette. The western and southern slopes descend towards the coast, forming promontories such as the Bandite di Scarlino,

Punta Ala Punta Ala (formerly Punta Troia) is a ''frazione'' of the town of Castiglione della Pescaia, in the province of Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy. The small town with a population of 402 people lies at the bottom of the northern hillsides of the promontor ...

, and Poggio Petriccio, near Castiglione della Pescaia. The northern and eastern slopes transition into the Maremma plain, featuring peaks like Monte d'Alma (559 m), Monte Calvo (468 m), Poggio Scodella (355 m), Poggio Bruno (368 m), and Poggio di Vetulonia (335 m), near the historic town and archaeological site of

Vetulonia Vetulonia, formerly called Vetulonium ( Etruscan: ''Vatluna''), was an ancient town of Etruria, Italy, the site of which is probably occupied by the modern village of Vetulonia, which up to 1887 bore the name of Colonnata and Colonna di Buriano: t ...

. At the highest peak, Poggio Ballone, the

Italian Air Force The Italian Air Force (; AM, ) is the air force of the Italy, Italian Republic. The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm on 28 March 1923 by Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, King Victor Emmanuel III as the ("Royal Air Force ...

operates a radar station (''121ª Squadriglia radar remota'') for monitoring air traffic over the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...

. Other notable peaks include Poggio Spada (540 m) and Poggio Serra Alta (547 m), located east of

Tirli Tirli is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Castiglione della Pescaia, province of Grosseto. At the time of the 2001 census its population amounted to 284. Tirli is about 28 km from Grosseto and ...

References

Mountains of Tuscany Castiglione della Pescaia {{Grosseto-geo-stub