Experience the best of Porto Ercole

Porto Ercole is the quieter of the two harbours on Monte Argentario, the rocky, pine-covered headland that juts into the Tyrrhenian Sea from the Maremma coast. Pastel houses climb from the marina to a ring of Spanish forts of the sixteenth century and later, a legacy of the years when this coast was held by Spain's governors. The painter Caravaggio died in the town in 1610.

A scenic road circles Argentario between rocky coves and viewpoints, while two thin strips of sand join the headland to the mainland and enclose the Orbetello lagoon, a wetland where flamingos and herons feed. The southern strip, the Tombolo della Feniglia, is a nature reserve of pines and fallow deer. Ferries to Isola del Giglio leave from Porto Santo Stefano on the far side of the headland.

Seafood defines the cooking: grilled catch of the day, spaghetti with clams, and acquacotta, the Maremma soup of bread and vegetables. Wines come from the surrounding Maremma vineyards, including Morellino di Scansano. Yachts fill the harbour in summer, while out of season the town is quiet.