Orbetello or Porto Santo Stefano or ???
 

After arriving at the Rome airport and picking up a rental car, my wife and I plan on spending our first night in the area near Orbetello. We were thinking of either Orbetello or Porto Santo Stefano. Any recommendations on either town or another nearby would be appreciated. Is one place more appealing than the other?

We will eventually be traveling along the coast to the Portovenere area and then through Tuscany. We have two weeks and are winging it.

Orbetello is in the middle of the laguna and can get very busy and a little smelly. I love both Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano.

We stayed here

http://www.torredicalapiccola.com/index.html

The world famous Il Pelicano is around the corner but is very expensive.

Of the two I prefer Porto Ercole.

Try to make it to the beach at Alberese.

http://digilander.libero.it/appunti1/maremma.htm

It is a beautiful unspoilt corner of Tuscany (as photographed for many postcards)(pines falling into the sea).

We love this coast.

We did exactly that last May. Since it is only one nite, it really makes little difference where you stay. We liked our hotel in Orbetello--click on my name to find the trip report.

Here are the pics:

http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=4553

If you are arriving on an overnight flight, jet-lagged, I wouldn't bother to trek all the way to Porto Santo Stefano, especially since many of its nicer hotels are located up the hill, on switchback roads.

I also have to say that if I were traveling any time other than summer, I would pick a place more interesting than either Orbetello or Porto Santo Stefano (or Porto Ercole, which I like better than then other two by far.)

I would pick either Tarquinia (which is closer to the airport) or Magliano in Toscana, which is bit further than Orbetello, but not by much.

Zeppole

I think that the extra drive is worth, as the views from Argentario are so good. I agree about Porto Ercole, much prefer it to Santo Stefano. The wooden yachts were in Ercole when we were there , it was like being in a 1950 film set.

Where is Mogliano?

It is spelled Magliano, and the full name of the town is "Magliano in Toscana." A google search will produce a map of its exact location.

Here's a picture

http://www.casalepereta.it/public/im..._pereta_06.jpg