Port Santo Stefano

It is one of the two characteristic villages that stand on the Tuscan promontory, it is located on the northern part of the Argentario. It is the largest of the villages on the promontory. Porto Santo Stefano has a very ancient history, thanks to its strategic position it was already frequented by the first peoples who sailed in the Mediterranean, subsequently the town was conquered by the Romans, who built important buildings here, such as the Baths of Domitian. During the period of Spanish domination, with the State of the Presidia, the imposing Spanish Fortress was built.
What to see in Porto Santo Stefano:

• Spanish Fortress, built between the end of 1500 and the beginning of 1600 for defensive purposes. In the 19th century, during the Napoleonic era, the building was fortified to resist British attacks and was then restored by Lorraine, following its annexation to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Today the fortress hosts events and exhibitions.
• Church of Santo Stefano, a modern church rebuilt after the Second World War to replace the previous eighteenth-century church destroyed by the bombings of 1944

Porto Ercole

Porto Ercole is certainly one of the most characteristic villages of the Argentario, and is also included among the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy. The area has been inhabited since the Etruscan period, as evidenced today by the numerous finds found near the city. It was then conquered by the Romans, who made it a port. In medieval times Porto Ercole is remembered in a donation made by Charlemagne to the Abbey of the Tre Fontane in Rome, the Aldobrandeschi then had the Torre di Terra erected, later transformed into the Rocca di Porto Ercole. With the arrival of the Spaniards, Porto Ercole became part of the State of the Royal Presidia, and it was in this period that Forte Stella, Forte Santa Caterina and Forte Filippo were built.
What to see in Porto Ercole:

• Church of Sant’Erasmo, a beautiful church that stands in a dominant position over the town of Porto Ercole, was built starting from a pre-existing building dating back to the 4th century. In 1600 the church was restored in Tuscan-Baroque style.
• Palazzo dei Governanti, rises in the heart of Porto Ercole and dates back to the first half of the 16th century, built as a residence for the Spanish rulers.
• Rocca Aldobrandesca, built over several centuries, between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the fortress dominates the entire Argentario promontory, and is flanked by the Porto Ercole lighthouse.
• The forts Filippo, Stella and Santa Caterina, three characteristic defensive fortifications erected during the Spanish rule of the State of the Royal Presidia.

Orbetello

Famous for its lagoon, Orbetello is one of the most fascinating cities in Tuscany. The town is connected to the Argentario promontory by an artificial dam which divides the lagoon into two: Laguna di Levante and Laguna di Ponente. Inhabited since the Etruscan period, Orbetello was donated by Pope Gregory VII to the Tre Fontane Abbey in Rome. It was then a possession of the Aldobrandeschi and the Orsini counts. In the first half of the 15th century it passed to the Sienese, to then pass, starting from the second half of the 1500s, to the State of the Royal Spanish Presidia, and then to pass under the control of Naples, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, until its annexation to the Kingdom of ‘Italy. Orbetello is also known because between 1927 and 1933 Italo Balbo left there for his four seaplane air cruises.
What to see in Orbetello:

• Co-cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, is the Cathedral of Orbetello, it was built on the ruins of a Roman temple, dating back to the fifth century, it was enlarged in 1201 and rebuilt between 1370 and 1376 at the behest of the Orsini Counts. Inside you can admire some precious paintings, such as the Circumcision, the Assumption of the Madonna, the Madonna seated among angels against the backdrop of the Orbetello lagoon and the mysteries of the Rosary.
• Cinta Muraria, built by the Etruscans around the 5th century BC. it was enlarged in the Middle Ages, in 1500 by the Spanish, including the Fortress, the Porta Medina Coeli, Porta a Terra and Porta del Soccorso.
• Governor’s Palace, in Piazza Hero dei Due Mondi, was the official residence of the governor general of the State of the Presidia.

Talamone

• Church of Santa Maria Assunta, dating back to 1374, the church was built on the ruins of a sacred building from the 5th century BC. and remodeled in 1600. Inside the church you can admire a beautiful fresco from the 1400s, with the Madonna of Constantinople, a fresco with the Madonna and Child between St. Peter and St. Paul, from the end of the 1400s and from the Sienese school, and a wooden choir 1614.
• Rocca Aldobrandesca, a fortification that dominates the entire town of Talamone and the blue waters of the Tuscan coast. It was built in 1200 by the Aldobrandeschi with sighting and defense functions. The structure was enlarged and fortified by the Sienese and restored again in 1400. The fortress was partially destroyed by pirates and rebuilt in the second half of the 1500s.
• Cinta Muraria, originally built during the 1200s by the Aldobrandeschis, the curtain wall was restructured in 1465 and again in 1541. The Spanish fortified the structure between 1500 and 1600.

Lily island

The Island of Giglio is one of the most beautiful islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, located in front of the town of Porto Santo Stefano, about 12 miles from the Argentario. The island was already inhabited from the Iron Age and later became an important Etruscan military base, maintaining its military relevance even in the Etruscan era. The discovery, in Giglio Porto just below sea level, of the ruins of the ancient Roman villa of the Domizi Enobarbi family, consisting of a tank for fish farming, walls, crop-porticos, mosaics, frescoes, arches and a terrace. In medieval times the Giglio became the property of the Aldobrandeschi, to then pass to the city of Perugia, and then to Pisa between 1264 and 1406, later it was a possession of the Medici family of Florence. The island is home to three towns, Giglio Porto, Giglio Castello and Giglio Campese.
What to see on Giglio Island:

• Church of San Pietro Apostolo, is located in Giglio Porto and is a sacred building dating back to the 1400s, inside it houses a precious treasure that belonged to Pope Innocent XIII, an ivory crucifix made by Giambologna, a relic of Saint Joseph, a relic of Pope Urban I, a relic of San Mamiliano and some reliquaries from the 18th century.
• Cinta Muraria, surrounds the town of Giglio Castello and dates back to the medieval period, under the government of the Aldobrandeschi. The walls were seriously damaged during a pirate raid in 1544 and the Medici who ruled the island at the time carried out a major renovation of the structure.
• Rocca Aldobrandesca, in Giglio Castello. It was built in the 10th century as the property of the Tre Fontane Abbey of Rome, in 1100 it passed to the Aldobrandeschi family who expanded the structure. The fortress was restored again by the Pisans and in the 16th century by the Medici. Following some pirate incursions, the fortress was damaged and restored again between the end of the 1500s and the beginning of the 1600s. Other important restoration works were carried out during the eighteenth century, when the lodgings for the sentinels and the manor house were enlarged, and in 1762 the Chapel of Santa Barbara was built.
• Coastal Towers, the island is home to numerous towers, built mainly for defensive purposes, Torre del Saraceno and Torre del Campese.

Giannutri Island

About 8 miles from the Island of Giglio, the Island of Giannutri is one of the most beautiful and particular of the Tuscan Archipelago. The island is uninhabited and access is possible with private boats only in some parts and in any case never too close to the coasts, while organized trips allow you to reach it by ferry. The island was already inhabited during the Bronze Age, it became an important center under the Roman Empire, when the Port and the Villa were built, owned by the Domizi Enobarbi family. After the fall of the Roman Empire the island was abandoned and was frequented exclusively by pirates who landed there to find temporary shelters during their assaults on the Tuscan coasts. In 1861, following the annexation to the Kingdom of Italy, the Capel Rosso lighthouse was built.
What to see on the island of Giannutri:

• Roman ruins, in Cala Maestra you can admire the remains of a Roman villa dating back to the 2nd century, which belonged to the Domizi Enobarbi family (an important senatorial family related to Agrippina, mother of the Roman Emperor Nero)
• Underwater, the island of Giannutri is particularly loved by diving enthusiasts, its seabed is in fact very rich in corals, sponges and gorgonians, even if for the most part inserted in a type 1 protected area, where rowing is therefore prohibited , motor and sailing, diving, bathing and fishing, in any case there are excellent diving spots, at the two wrecks of the Anna Bianca at a depth of 40 meters, and of the Nasim at a depth of 60 meters.
• Protected area, the island is inserted within a protected natural area, it is a site of regional interest located within the Tuscan Archipelago National Park and includes a marine reserve.