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Places to visit |
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Scansano is just 20 minutes drive away inland. Here you can find more local amenities such as banks, supermarket, bakery, bars and restaurants. The old town is under an archway and is well worth a walk around. Magliano in Toscana is just 10 minutes drive away and is a lovely little town inside castle walls. You can walk around the top of the walls and admire the view. Here you can find shops, wine tasting shops, restaurants and a delicious ice-cream parlour. Talamone is a romantic harbour town on Tuscany's Etruscan Riviera. It is also the most historic places on this stretch of coast and definitely worthwhile of a visit. Surrounded by Torquoise water on either side, dominated by its castle with magnificent stretches of coastline. There is no question why directors of "Quantum of Solace" the latest epic in the James Bond saga, used Talmone as the background to one of the films most beautiful scenes when James Bond goes to his friend Mathis' villa to find him drinking white wine with his beautiful Itailan girlfriend on the terrace looking North to Talamone. Porto Ercole is a paradise of rugged green hills, hidden coves, and a natural harbour. The historic centre is a delightful warren of narrow streets, staircases, and piazzas that make up the old part of the city. There is a lovely promenade with a line-up of waterfront restaurants, cafes, and shops. Artisans have their workshops in old converted fishermen's huts. The "strada panoramica" is a scenic drive up the mountain with views of the sea, the islands and the inland hills of Tuscany that you won't want to miss. Porto Ercole is also a hiker's delight with trails that lead to the pebble beaches and reach the peak of Mt. Argentario. There are three castles here to visit, constructed by the Spanish during their reign. Orbetello is a cute coastal town, backed by hills and fronted by the lagoon with the sea beyond. The old part is completely pedestrianized, making it a safe and charming place to wander through the narrow streets while soaking in the atmosphere and sun. Here you will find many interesting shops, restaurants and cafes. An old stone Spanish-built circular windmill stands surrounded by water as a beautiful backdrop. The town has Etruscan roots, and the remains of the ancient walls bear testimony of its history. Porto Santo Stefano is the largest seaport town of Monte Argentario. It has a picturesque bay with an old port, a lively marina with yachts, fine restaurants, shops and colourful houses perched on the headland. A walk along the promenade is a must. You can catch a ferry to Giglio island or Giannutri from here or hire a boat for the day or go scuba diving. It has a Spanish Fort dating back to the 16th century that overlooks the historical centre of the town. Today it hosts the Museum of Axe Masters and other displays that include local archaeological artefacts. Giglio island is a hidden treasure surrounded by the Tyrrhenian sea. It features wonderful beaches with crystal clear waters, a village inside castle walls and a lively port with shops and restaurants. The largest part of the island is wild and covered by Mediterranean vegetation, in which animals and rare species of plants live peacefully. You’ll get lost in a magnificent whirl of fragrances, unforgettable sunsets, colours, tasty dishes, small villages and stunning beaches! Grosseto is the largest city in the maremma region, surrounded by fortified walls once intended to defend the city, which now form a pleasant tree-lined walk used as a public park. Siena is a very pretty town is rich in medieval architecture, and the city has the reputation of being the best-preserved medieval town in Italy, with its many cobblestone alleys and ancient piazzas. The historical part of the city is not large, and can easily be explored by foot. Be sure to visit the Duomo of Siena, one of the most magnificent cathedrals in all of Italy. The cathedral has a very attractive black and white marble facade and an inlaid marbled floor depicting various biblical events, as well as carvings by Michelangelo. During the summer there is the famous “il Palio”, a bareback horse race around the central piazza. The town is also known for its delicious sweet desserts Saturnia is a lovely little village up on the hill. The hotel/health spa on the approach to the village has outdoor swimming pools filled with the natural water from the hot sulphur springs. You can have a cheaper day out though at the hot water falls which is on the left before the road starts to climb up to Saturnia. Here you can soak away in the natural warm jacuzzi’s which have formed on the hillside. Sorano is an ancient Etruscan town that stands on a high summit that has weathered to resemble a natural cliff and is surrounded by impressive walls to make it one of the most secure defensive systems in the county of Pitigliano is a characteristic village built into a tuff cliff. It stands spectacularly on a ridge at 313 metres above sea level, surrounded by green valleys crossed by the Lente and Meleta rivers. The lovely fortress commands from a high, one of the most esteemed examples of military architecture of the Italian Renaissance period. The Orsini Palace and the large Etruscan necropolis are also recommended visiting. Sovana was an important centre from Etruscan times and up to the 12th century. From the 1960s, improvement and restoration projects have restored its particular evocative atmosphere. A real architectural jewel is the cathedral, built in the 9th century and modified between the 11th and 12th Pitigliano Is a characteristic village that is situated on a rock called “Tufo”. The name comes from the special mineral of the rock. Here You will find old houses inside the rock with a myriad of designs and formations. Montepulciano is a splendid town known as "The Pearl of the 16th century" because of its artistic and architectural vestiges has conserved its beauty intact. As the visitor walks up its steep streets they discover the beautiful buildings and churches where the best Renaissance architects impressed their incomparable artistic talent. One shouldn't miss the magnificent Piazza Grande, the Cathedral with its incomplete façade, the Town Hall and the Renaissance buildings all around the square. In the valley below, set in an unforgettable landscape, is the elegant Temple of San Biagio. San Gimignano Overlooks a typical landscape of olive groves and vineyards the town is on three different levels. The Rocca occupies the highest part of San Gimignano. Just below it is the old pre-thirteenth century part of town which is surrounded by walls and further down the fourteenth century part which is in turn surrounded by walls. During the period when it was a free municipality several buildings emerged around the Cathedral square: the "Palazzo del Podestà" (with its large arch and high Rognosa Tower); the "Palazzo del Popolo" which houses important frescoes of the time and the "Torre Grossa" (big tower) next to it. In the gallery of San Gimignano (in the Town Hall) the "Madonna in Gloria tra i Santi Gregorio e Benedetto" by Pinturicchio is of particular interest.
Other well known places to visit not too far away.... Rome, Pisa, Lucca and Florence |
