Summer list

Low key beaches, islands and eats in Tuscany

I don’t want to jinx it but this summer has *so far* been delightfully not 40°C/104°F every day. It’s been bearable, beautiful even. I don’t actually remember a summer quite as bearable as this one in the past decade (this is what we are used to, and in fact I’d still suggest having a look to know how to cope with Italian heat the Italian way — yes gelato is a coping mechanism). The air is actually breathable, the plants are surviving, it’s still possible to cook and even feel like eating — and all this has me thinking about making a trip to the beach very soon because I won’t be actually melting under the umbrella! We don’t have plans for a summer holiday this year but we are lucky to be not too far from the coast so that day trips to the beach are easy.

Since you might be thinking about this too (or maybe want to save this for another time), here is a list of my favourite spots along Tuscany’s 400km coastline, the places we come back to time and time again.

Summer spots in Tuscany

Castiglioncello

Just south of Livorno is this small, pretty, panoramic beach town, a popular spot in the 1800s for the Macchiaioli (the Tuscan impressionists) who painted around here and also stars of 1960s Italian cinema like Marcello Mastroianni. It has both rocky and sandy beaches and a beautiful pineta (pine forest) to cool down in, plus easy access thanks to the train station, which is conveniently walking distance to the beach and the town. Have breakfast or aperitivo at the classic Caffe Ginori in the middle of town. Gelato from the natural gelateria Bar Vittoria. Station Gallery is an eclectic spot for a spritz before dinner, but if you want to be by the sea with a view (also the tiny free beach below it), Il Cardellino is in prime position. Bagni Italia is my pick for a plate of pasta with sea urchin (below) and a dip in the sea.

Cecina

Slightly south of Castiglioncello is Cecina — the most northern town of the Maremma area. This is the beach spot that Marco has been going to since he was a child, as his grandfather had a house right in front of the beach. It’s a kind of old fashioned local beach town and although we like to visit for the memories, it’s not my very favourite beach — personally I find it hot and crowded, the sand is very rocky rather than fine (they brought sand in from the nearby rivers) are sea gets very deep very, very quickly, so not ideal for small kids. But saying this, we love going for a meal at Il Delfino and it is at the quieter end of Cecina, where there is also a small, lovely beach. You can also book one of the umbrellas right at the restaurant (below).

Baratti

You need a car to get to this beach, which is not far from San Vincenzo, and even so, this beach has changed a lot over the years. It used to be much more quiet and wild and was mostly “spiaggia libera”, free beach. Now you’ll find more beach clubs have built up here but it’s still a beautiful spot especially in the evening for a spritz or live music at Bagno Baratti or for a panino at the Casotto di Baratti. Other than these spots, you have the pineta so you can do what most locals do when they come here — they set up a picnic under the cool of the pine trees.

Nearby, if you’re up for a hike through the Mediterranean scrub, drive halfway up to Populonia (beautiful views from this Etruscan village) and there is a spot to leave the car and walk about 30 minutes to the beautiful Buca delle Fate.

Piombino

This is a funny place — on the one hand there is the enormous steel factory which is an absolute eyesore in the middle of the beautiful coastline but then historical centre of this port town is quaint and pretty and the place is entirely worth a visit just to eat at Garibaldi Innamorato (look at these arselle below) alone for the freshest seafood. Don’t miss the zuppa corsa.

Monte Argentario

We lived here in 2015 in the fishing village of Porto Ercole while Marco was head sommelier of the Michelin star restaurant at the dreamy Il Pellicano. So I have a soft spot for this beautiful place and we keep coming back. As we had a two year old at the time our spot was Feniglia beach, which is very long, very shallow and with beautiful fine sand. We get an ombrellone (beach umbrella) at Il Braccio, which also does a wonderful spaghetti alle vongole (and in the late spring with arselle — wedge clams from Feniglia itself). It is perfect. If you don’t have kids in tow, though and walking a little or large rocks aren’t a problem, the beach just below Pellicano is a stunner, Acquadolce (below). We had a great stay (it was an invite) at Argentario Golf & Wellness Resort last year, a Mariott hotel which is between Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano. It’s useful to have a car here so you can make the most of exploring. And if you fall in love with the food and the wildnerness of this area, I have a cookbook that I wrote while we lived here based entirely on it: Acquacotta.

Giglio Island

Sure there is Elba and it is stunning, but Giglio (the top photo) has my heart. From Monte Argentario — which has just two towns, little Porto Ercole and the larger Porto Santo Stefano — you can catch the ferry for Giglio island, 1 hour away. Giglio is a small, granite island with a few neighbourhoods, mainly the castello or the historic town, the port, national park and a couple of beach areas. We like Campese, which has soft, rust coloured sand, and crystalline water. It’s worth renting a boat (or getting someone to take you around by boat) so that you can swim in little coves and just experience the beautiful parts of the island that you cannot get to otherwise. Pro tip: you can leave the car behind at one of the numerous garages at Porto Santo Stefano, I would recommend that — honestly, it’s a very small island and there is not enough space for cars. The public transport works very well here — surprisingly modern, air conditioned and frequent!

There is a campsite with a really very good trattoria near Campese, or, if you are looking to really escape it all, try Pardini’s Hermitage, below. You can only reach it by boat as it’s completely private. Cell phone coverage is sketchy, as it the wifi. But there is bocce, board games and a music room. There are goats, which provide fresh ricotta, and a little bell will ring when it’s time for aperitivo. I absolutely loved staying here, it will always be one of my favourite holidays — you can read more about that visit here. Do also visit Castello, up there you have what feels like a birds eye view of the Tyrrenian sea, and don’t miss eating at Da Maria.

Fiascherino

An extra — so, this isn’t in Tuscany, we’ve slipped over the border into Liguria but it is not even an hour and a half for us to get to Lerici or one of the charming little beaches between there and Tellaro like Fiascherino. Try Il Senatore or Osteria la Caletta for a lovely Ligurian meal by the sea.

How about you, any summer favourites you’d add to this list?

What I’m cooking at the moment (all kinds of tomatoes)

• Peach, tomato and mozzarella salads (and variations of it)

• Melon granita (and variations of it, like watermelon)

• White bean, tomato and red onion salads (and variations! Tinned tuna or marinated anchovies are a great addition).

• Molly O’Neill’s tomato bisque (it’s the cumin that does it for me!)

• Tomato and goats cheese tarts (a summer version of this asparagus tart)

• And I have plans for Fabrizia Lanza’s gelo di anguria (watermelon pudding), here is a similar one from Italy Segreta.

Workshops

• Next year’s dates are out for our seasonal workshops at Enoteca Marilu.

• Coming *very, very soon* registration will open Lagoon Workshop for spring 2025.

• Culinary Tuscany tour with Stellavision, a size inclusive trip this November (white truffle season!).