 The town is known because of Pia de' Tolomei (whose fate is related in the "Purgatory" cantoes of the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri), and for being the birthplace of the writer Giuseppe Bandi, Italian patriot and journalist.The Etruscan territory of Gavorrano fell under the direct control of Vetulonia which, through the paths along the river valleys of Sovata and Bruna, was rich in deposits of minerals to flow around the Lake Accesa.Excavations conducted by the University of Florence on the Santa Teresa estate between 2004 and 2007 discovered five gravestones used between the mid-7th century BC and the second half of the 6th century BC, surrounded by many farms.