Where is the Argentario?

A rocky promontory on the southern Tuscan coast, joined to the mainland by three sandy spits, with Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano its two harbour towns. It is the quietest small-luxury enclave on the Tuscan coast.

Is the Argentario good for July and August?

It is the best of Tuscany in high summer. While the interior bakes, the peninsula keeps a sea breeze, and the villas are built around the water rather than hiding from the heat.

Can you arrange a boat?

Yes. We book skippers and day boats through the office, with about two weeks' notice in the high season, for days out to the coves or across to Giglio and Giannutri.

Porto Ercole or Porto Santo Stefano?

Porto Ercole is the social, small-luxury side, with the Pellicano nearby. Porto Santo Stefano is larger and more workaday, and the ferry gateway to the islands. Most of our guests prefer the Porto Ercole flank.

Is the Argentario better than the Amalfi Coast?

For privacy and quiet, yes. It trades the drama and the crowds of Amalfi for working harbour towns, private coves and the Italian-summer culture the Pellicano set in motion.

Exclusive Tuscany

Est. MMXXV

TuscanySub-region

Argentario, Tuscany.

1 villa in the collection

On Argentario

Field notes,
from the founders.

Monte Argentario is the rocky promontory thrust into the Tyrrhenian on the southern Tuscan coast, joined to the mainland by three thin sandy spits that make it almost an island. It is the most northerly serious sailing harbour on the Italian peninsula, the place Italian families have summered for four generations and the quietest small-luxury enclave anywhere on the Tuscan coast.

Our villas on the Argentario sit either above Porto Santo Stefano on the north flank (looking back to the mainland), above Porto Ercole on the south flank (looking out across the open sea), or on the wilder eastern side facing Giannutri. The architecture is leaner and paler than inland Tuscany. Stuccoed villas with shutters, terraces stepping down to private coves, paths through cork oak and macchia to the rocks. The gardens are succulent and Mediterranean rather than the cypress-and-rose of the hill country.

The Harbour Towns, and Capalbio

Porto Ercole is the social heart and has been since the Pellicano hotel established the small-luxury template here in 1965. The harbour-front restaurants serve the Argentario's signature peposo and acquacotta; the via Spianata above the old town is where the evening passeggiata happens; the rocky bays beyond Forte Stella deliver the swimming. Porto Santo Stefano is bigger, more workaday, and the ferry gateway to the islands of Giglio and Giannutri.

Capalbio, twenty minutes inland, holds the cultural weight: Niki de Saint Phalle's Tarot Garden, the Roman intellectual class on their holidays, and the cooking that defines the southern Maremma.

Boats, Coves and the Islands

The Argentario is the most northerly serious sailing harbour on the Italian peninsula, and the sea is the entire point. Days here are built around a boat: out to the coves on the wild eastern side facing Giannutri, across to Giglio for lunch, or simply anchored off the rocks below the villa for the afternoon. We arrange skippers and day boats through the office, with two weeks' notice in the high season.

When, and Why, the Argentario

The Argentario suits travellers who want the sea every day, who appreciate Italy's small-luxury culture, and who would rather be at a working harbour town than on a developed beach. It is, above all, the answer to the Tuscan summer: we send guests here in July and August, when the heat inland turns severe and the cooler peninsula breeze becomes the whole reason to be in Tuscany.

When to come

June, July, August, September. The water is warm from mid-June through to mid-October. May and early October are quieter and the harbour-side restaurants are easier to book.

Towns worth knowing

Porto Ercole: The social town; harbour-front dinner, the Forte Stella climb, the Pellicano nearby.
Porto Santo Stefano: The working town and ferry gateway to Giglio and Giannutri.
Capalbio: Twenty minutes inland; the Roman intellectuals' summer town, restaurants serious.
Orbetello: The lagoon city on the isthmus; pink-flamingo wetland, the cathedral, a Friday market.
Ansedonia: The Roman city of Cosa above small private coves; ancient walls, swimming below.

Best for

July and August coastal weeks
Sailors and travellers wanting boat-led days
Returning Italian-summer guests who prefer the Pellicano world to Capri
Pairing with two days in Rome at the start or end of the trip

Practicalities

Rome Fiumicino (FCO) is ninety minutes by car and the natural airport. The train from Rome stops at Orbetello, twenty minutes from any Argentario villa. Boats and skippers are arranged through us with two weeks' notice for the high season.

Frequently asked

Where is the Argentario?: A rocky promontory on the southern Tuscan coast, joined to the mainland by three sandy spits, with Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano its two harbour towns. It is the quietest small-luxury enclave on the Tuscan coast.
Is the Argentario good for July and August?: It is the best of Tuscany in high summer. While the interior bakes, the peninsula keeps a sea breeze, and the villas are built around the water rather than hiding from the heat.
Can you arrange a boat?: Yes. We book skippers and day boats through the office, with about two weeks' notice in the high season, for days out to the coves or across to Giglio and Giannutri.
Porto Ercole or Porto Santo Stefano?: Porto Ercole is the social, small-luxury side, with the Pellicano nearby. Porto Santo Stefano is larger and more workaday, and the ferry gateway to the islands. Most of our guests prefer the Porto Ercole flank.
How do you reach the Argentario?: Rome Fiumicino is ninety minutes by car and the natural airport; the train from Rome stops at Orbetello, twenty minutes from any villa.
Is the Argentario better than the Amalfi Coast?: For privacy and quiet, yes. It trades the drama and the crowds of Amalfi for working harbour towns, private coves and the Italian-summer culture the Pellicano set in motion.