Discovering The Tuscan Coast

Tuscany

Tuscany is famous as one of the world’s most beautiful regions, a land of rolling green hills and picturesque towns and cities, but it is less well known for its coastal areas. In these areas, you'll find the food and wine equally memorable, the crowds fewer, the climate cooled by sea breezes, and deserted beaches thrown into the mix. Cities like Florence and Lucca are just a short drive or bus-ride away. Let our local experts create a tailor-made trip to Italy for you, and discover the stunning Tuscan coastline.  

Starting with the sand, many of Tuscany’s beaches are Blue Flag standard, and there are even more on the Tuscan islands, including Elba, Italy’s third-largest island after Sicily and Sardinia. You can reach Elba, famous for being the island of Napoleon’s exile, from the historic little port of Piombino on the Tuscan coast.

View of the coastal town of Talamone. Photo: Shutterstock

South of Piombino is an attractive option for a Tuscan coast stay, the town of Capalbio. Set slightly inland it has the benefit of a scenic situation, surrounded by those Tuscan hills where vineyards flourish. It’s popular with Rome’s intellectual elite, and has plenty of shabby-chic trattorias serving gourmet food. It’s also only a 20-minute drive from the coast and the promontory of L’Argentario.

L’Argentario is another good base for enjoying the best of both worlds in Tuscany. This upmarket outcrop with its densely-wooded hills has a golf course, a yacht harbour, and colourful fishing ports. Its eating options range from simple trattoria serving freshly caught fish to Michelin-starred restaurants.

Talamone is based around another outcrop jutting into the sea, a fishing village that was fortified like several others along this coast. It sits at the southern end of the Monti dell'Uccellina, a nature reserve that has both thick woodland, where wild boar live, and three miles of white sand beach, where sun worshippers bask. As it is protected, the beach is undeveloped and peaceful. It's one of Italy's finest, equidistant from both Florence and Rome, yet seemingly a million miles from either. It represents the best of this other side of Tuscany; a side well worth exploring.

If you are planning a trip to Tuscany, Insight Guides can help with the planning, organising and booking of your trip. Simply contact our local expert with details of the length of your trip, budget and places you would like to visit and they will plan your personalised itinerary. For inspiration browse Insight Guides ready-made Italy trips, which are fully customisable. 

This blog was originally published on September 21, 2015