trinity_guess

I'm lucky enough to come back for the third time in Tuscany, following my husband on a business trip to Florence.
After two trips in Chianti and Sienese area, we would like to take this opportunity to visit some less touristy area and have some relax on the beach.
I have read that the Maremma is an area still very wild, but beautiful to visit and little known by tourism.
Really horses race in the wild?
Is it hard to find good facilities to stay?
Any advice on places not to miss? Thanks

stevewith

I've seen deer running in the wild in the Maremma, but not wild horses. There are quite a few places to go horseback riding if you like though. There are also some beaches that have been left undeveloped, with sea grasses and dunes. You can find b&bs and apartments or villas to rent within walking distance of some of these wild beaches, but if you want a resort hotel, then obviously you need to go to a developed area.

If you decide to go to the less developed areas of the Tuscan coast, you will need a car. If you go in August, you will encounter a lot of traffic as you try to move about in your car to go shopping for food or eat in restaurants, and trouble finding parking. Also, even the wild beaches will be crowded. They are not secrets to Italians. If driving to dinner and lunch every time doesn't appeal to you, there are dozens of small towns without foreign tourists along the coast that have pleasant beaches, hotels, plenty of restaurants and you can even take boats or drive to secluded beaches. Having a car is still highly advisable, but you won't need to drive your car to do everything.

If you are not planning this trip for between June and the beginning of October, then it is usually not a lot of fun to be in the Maremma, where it can be too cold to enjoy the beaches or rainy.

These links might help you

http://www.maremma-tuscany.com/blog/...n-the-maremma/

http://www.casinadirosa.it/southern-...beach-maremma/

You might also consider the Tuscan island of Elba for relaxation and few foreign tourists.

http://www.maremma-tuscany.com/blog/...n-the-maremma/

Maltesec

The Maremma is very beautiful and I agree with steve that having a car is essential, partly because it is really worth to visit it all.
The entry to most of the beautiful beaches is upon control so you won't find so that crowd, neither in August.
It's really worth to visit the natural park in the outback where you can experience trekking and horse riding in a landscape that looks like Patagonia in somehow.
I suggest you a residence in Principina Terra http://www.residenzaprincipina.it/en which is very close to Marina di Alberese Beach inside Parco dell'Uccellina, brand new and unexpensive.

stevewith

It is true that access to the most beautiful Maremma beaches is limited to prevent overcrowding, but unless you pre-arrange access, that means you could end up in the Maremma without being able to enjoy them. So make sure you nail that down in advance before you go there and not leave it to chance.

julia1

Yes, go west! It's just two hours southwest of Florence, or little more than one hour northwest of Rome, to the less-explored coastal regions of Maremma, Promentario dell'Argentario, and the Tuscan archipelago, all in the Province of Grosseto where Tuscany and Lazio meet the sea. Here you will find empty beaches, quiet islands, ancient fishing villages, Etruscan ruins, and Monte Argentario, a small limestone promontory linked to the mainland by strips of coastline called <i>tomboli</i>, formed by the action of the sea and a buildup of sand. Within the <i>tomboli</i> is a lagoon which provides important resting places for migratory birds.

Thanks to Napoleon, most people have heard of Elba, the largest island of the Tuscan archipelago. Less well-known is Giglio, a quiet mountainous island, mainly a summer resort for Romans, a lovely day trip for the rest of us. (Although Giglio may be more familiar now, since the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground on its rocks last year.)

Porto Santo Stefano is the main town of the Argentario peninsula, with two small harbors, a working fishing port, a ferry port, a seaside promenade and boardwalk, and some good restaurants featuring the local day's catch. P.S.S is also the ferry port for the islands, including Giglio. A second town on the peninsula is Porto Ercole, a little more upscale combined to the grittier P.S.S. I have stayed in Porto Santo Stefano at 3-star, seaside, La Caletta, a 5-minute walk from the ports and center of town.

Within an hour or two of Porto Santo Stefano there are many interesting places to visit, including lovely Massa Marittima; Castiglione della Pescaia, with stunning views and ancient Etruscan remains in the nearby village of Vetulonia; Orbetello, originally an ancient Etruscan settlement, now a small bustling town with some interesting shopping and a Cathedral housing 15th century frescoes worth a look.

Near Garavicchio is the Giardino dei Tarocchi, where French artist Niki de Saint Phalle settled in 1979. Inspired by Gaudi's work in Barcelona's Parc Guell, she spent almost 20 years creating giant metaphorical structures covered in glass, ceramic, and enamal mosaics. Many of the structures serve also as small buildings and pavilions, which she and some of her helpers inhabited for varying numbers of years during the making of the garden. It is a garden as well as a sculpture park and a surprisingly satisfying place to visit. Principals and techniques from landscape art guided the placement of the structures, creating a sense of surprise and discovery as you walk through. And the artistry and craftsmanship are spell-binding. Inside the structure named the Dome is a chapel, interior surfaces of which are completely covered with a mosaic of mirrors. It is magical to sit inside the Dome and watch the flow of reflections as people enter and leave.

If you visit this area when most Italians take their summer holiday, generally the first three weeks of August, you will have lots of company from Rome and other parts of Italy. But you will encounter few Americans, British and other English-speaking tourists. And if you go outside the busiest times...I have been in May, September and October. Bella! Splendido! Delizioso!

julia1

If you would like to view photos of some of the places I mentioned above, including the Tarot Garden, please click on this link:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=fc3a62778e

trinity_guess

stevewith, maltesec, julia1 thank you for your precious support, you've been really helpful!