In vacanza all'Argentario

The most poetic origin of the name Albinia would seem to refer to the Latin albus (white), because here there were salt pans. Instead, ancient documents mention it as Alminia.
The official version is that the first name given to the town of Albinia was Albegna, which however was often confused with the river of the same name. For this reason it was changed to Albinia.

The current inhabited center of Albinia has recent origins, it was born in the years of fascism during the reclamation of the marshes.
However, the country developed only starting from the fifties, when with the 1951 Fondation Reform the territory was reorganized into farms, giving great impetus to rural activities and all those connected to agriculture. In recent years the small village was populated by numerous immigrants from provinces and neighboring regions. We will have to wait until the second half of the 1950s to make Albinia a "real" country with a parish church, pharmacy and bank!

The human settlements in the lower valley of the Albegna date back to ancient times.

Archaeological surveys and excavations carried out in an area between the town of Albinia and the mouth of the river, have revealed important traces of inhabited areas dating back to the I and II century AD, which were associated with an area used as furnaces reserved for production of pottery, in particular of wine amphorae, but also of bricks and domestic pottery. The archaeological investigation was started following the discovery of wine amphorae found in central France (then ancient Gaul) where these terracotta containers, from the river and sea port located at the mouth of the Albegna, were transferred filled with wine produced in the areas hills near Albinia, attested by the "trademark" that every furnace impressed on its products.

The presence of a river landing at the mouth of the Albegna is also documented in the Itinerarium Maritimum of the 3rd century AD C. (... Alminia, fluvius habet positionem, mpm VIIII) which contained the distances between the important ports of the western Mediterranean, precisely on the route between Rome and Provence.
The port was presumably located on the left bank of the river, not far from the current Torre delle Saline.

The Torre delle Saline, is certainly the most typical construction of the place, it represents the symbol of the town. This defensive architectural complex was built in 1469 by Giovanni Danesi on behalf of the Lordship of Siena.
Restored several times over time, it was indicated by the historian and naturalist Emanuele Repetti as "Torre delle Saline" with functions of fort and customs.
The name of the tower derives from the presence in the area of ​​numerous salt pans that imposed the need for defense of the place even if there is no certain evidence, documents or archaeological finds, that in the vicinity of Albinia there existed in Roman times a plant for obtaining of sea salt. However, the presence of a salt pan is considered very probable based on environmental considerations and historical continuity.

It is currently in public ownership, used as an Archive of the Superintendence, but it is also a venue for cultural events and events, thanks to its striking location.

The economy of Albinia owes its greatest development to agriculture. In 1965, with the introduction of mechanization and specialized crops, the Costa Ortofrutticola plant was born. In the same year work began on the construction of a large tomato processing plant, born in the form of a consortium of cooperatives, called CONALMA. It is currently owned by Conserve Italia under the Valfrutta brand. He works about half a million tons of industrial tomatoes a year. A reality that has always increased the workforce of the territory!

In the 70s the tourism boom begins: some hotels, but above all campsites that in a few years have expanded to almost the entire pine forest between the Osa and Albegna rivers.
Albinia touristically enjoys a strategic position, it is all one step away: the beautiful sea of ​​the Argentario, the beaches ideal for the whole family, the river with the dock for small boats, the essential services with the tranquility of a small town at the right distance from the most famous destinations: Orbetello, Porto Santo Stefano, Porto Ercole, can be reached in a few minutes by car.
The brand new bike path connects the village to the first free beach of the Giannella, to the bathing establishment with a large parking area for campers (www.aidelfini.it) and to the campsites along the S.S. Aurelia.
Piazza delle Regioni is the social gathering of summer evenings, concerts and other entertainment events are held on the fountain's stage, while the square in front of the church has been dedicated to the "Angels of the mud" as thanks to all the volunteers who later the river of mud of 12 November 2012 arrived in Albinia to shovel, clean, help those who had lost everything.

On 12 November 2012, following the heavy rainfall that caused the Albegna river to flood, the entire town was submerged by water and mud, making it one of the most affected by the flood of the Grosseto Maremma, with considerable damage to families and local economic activities.
Who lives here, like me, remembers that day well ... and subsequent ones.
Passing by now to Albinia you would not even be able to imagine what happened!
A country on its knees that has done everything to get up and everything has slowly begun again, as in many other areas of Italy.