Tuscany Seaside Holidays
Resort Poggio all’Agnello – Etruscan Coast
The Etruscan Coast is undoubtedly one of the privileged destinations for a beach holiday in Tuscany thanks to its ninety kilometers of sandy coasts. This long stretch of sea that goes from Livorno to Piombino is perfect both for families on holiday with children and for lovers of sport and group travel.
The proximity to the hills of the Grosseto Maremma makes this area very popular also for lovers of cycling and trekking.
The Poggio all’Agnello Resort is an excellent starting point for excursions on foot or by bike and to easily reach all the beaches in the area. To the north are the beaches of Baratti and San Vincenzo and to the south the Sterpaia park and the beaches of Follonica. Sports lovers and all guests who want to stay active even on vacation can take advantage of the sports numbers, swimming pools, bike rental service, Poggio all’Agnello is also a bike hotel, and organized activities such as yoga and diving.
Now all that remains is to discover all the places to visit for your dream vacation on the Etruscan Coast!
The Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia
Poggio Experience The Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia Populonia was an ancient Etruscan settlement, originally named Fufluna or Pupluna, and was the only city built on the coast. It was one of the twelve cities of the Etruscan Dodecapolis, the main city-states within Etruria which were governed by a Lucumo. It owed its splendour…
Bike Resort in Tuscany
Bike Holiday on the Etruscan Coast. Bike Resort in Tuscany A resort offering the best bike holidays in Tuscany With its position in the heart of the Etruscan Coast, spectacular landscapes and countless itineraries , ranging from mountains to the plains, Poggio all’Agnello was made to be a reference point for all road and mountain…
Your family holiday in dreamlike Tuscany
Your family holiday in dreamlike Tuscany Let’s play a game: I’ll say three words and you get your imagination running! Family holiday Tuscany. If you were thinking about looking for a place where you could have an amazing family holiday in Tuscany, read this! Poggio all’Agnello is just what you’re looking for – a hotel…
Dreaming of the summer
Tennis, Trekking and cycling to restart! Dreaming of the summer Holidays can be the ideal time to do some sport with your family and get some exercise if you’ve spent the winter indoors engaging in a potentially sedentary lifestyle. Poggio all’Agnello is synonymous with open air and movement and has everything you’ll need for activities…
A HOLIDAY BY THE SEA IN TUSCANY
The Poggio all’Agnello resort is ideal for a holiday near the sea in Tuscany. Beaches with facilities are located 2 km away, such as the Gulf of Baratti, as well as some of the most attractive and characteristic beaches of the Etruscan Coast.
Gulf of Baratti
Baratti and the Gulf of Baratti lie one kilometre as the crow flies from Poggio all’Agnello. The Gulf of Baratti is a small haven on the Etruscan Coast in Tuscany, with a sandy beach backed by a dense pinewood. The beach can be reached in just a few minutes, and there are ample parking facilities. Near the “Bagno Baratti” establishment, there is a lifeguard station and a bar/restaurant.
Buca delle Fate
A characteristic cove along the Etruscan Coast in Tuscany, with a pebble beach lying between a stretch of rocky coastline that runs from the Piombino headland to the Populonia headland.
The water here is crystal clear because of the rocky seabed.
This beach is also just a few minutes by car from Poggio all’Agnello.
The beach is just before Populonia, and can be reached by a path leading down to the sea.
Perelli Carbonifera
This is a delightful, sandy beach, which can easily be reached in a few minutes by car from Poggio all’Agnello. The beach is backed by a big pinewood offering shade, and is equipped with picnic tables and benches. The beach is close to Follonica, between Torre Mozza and Mortelliccio.
Perelli Mortelliccio
This is another fine sandy beach. A large public section backed by a pinewood is ideal for those who don’t feel the need for beach facilities. The pinewood is equipped with some tables and benches, ideal for relaxing in the shade.
Spiaggia di Rimigliano
A sandy beach with lifeguard service just a few minutes north by car from the Poggio all’Agnello resort. There is also a shady pinewood next to this beach, with just the occasional house dotted nearby. The beach can be accessed from via della Principessa, via numerous paths leading to the sea.
Torre Mozza
This beach is just 20 km from Poggio all’Agnello. It is a renowned area and beach of the Maremma, with its particularly white sand, crystal clear waters and pinewood for refreshment in the shade. The beach is very popular, and has a paying car park.
Torre del Sale
This beach is just 10 km from Poggio all’Agnello. Its name (“Salt Tower”) comes from the salt mines that used to be in the area, which is part of the Provincial Nature Reserve “Padule Orti Bottagone”.
The beach is situated between Piombino and Follonica.
Marina di Salivoli
This is a sandy beach at Piombino, next to the town’s marina. It is approximately 10 km from Poggio all’Agnello, and offers various facilities, bars and restaurants.
La Torraccia
This beach is just 4 km from the Poggio all’Agnello resort. It takes its name from the watch tower next to the beach, on the right of the road “Strada della Principessa”. Not far from the shoreline is the rocky seabed “Lo Stellino” known for its flourishing sea life.
Elba Island
In just a few minutes by car from the Poggio all’Agnello resort, guests can reach Piombino (approximately 7 km away) and board a ferry for the nearby, well-known Elba island (ferry journey around 45 minutes). The stretch of sea between Piombino and Elba is 9 km, with ferry crossings every hour. A hydrofoil service has also been operating since 2010, for quick crossings to Portoferraio.
Elba island is an ideal trip from Poggio all’Agnello, to spend a day by the sea on an island of the splendid Tuscan archipelago.
Spiaggia Lunga
This beach is just 12km from Poggio all’Agnello and is located along the rocky coastline north of Piombino. This white pebble beach is renowned for its crystal clear waters similar to nearby Elba Island.
CULTURAL TRIPS IN TUSCANY
CULTURAL HOLIDAYS ON THE TUSCAN ETRUSCAN COAST
The Poggio all’Agnello resort in Tuscany is an ideal location on the Etruscan Coast, to easily reach the region’s main cultural and historic centres, as well as numerous seaside towns. Near the resort (5-10 minutes away by car), guests can visit:
Populonia
Situated on one of the headlands dominating the Gulf of Baratti, Populonia (a hamlet of the municipality of Piombino) dates back to ancient times. Settled by the Etruscans, it was once one of the main mining centres of this ancient civilisation. Populonia still has traces of its ancient past in the Etruscan Necropolis and of its medieval times in the castle (Populonia Fort dating back to the fifteenth century).
Baratti
This small hamlet in the municipality of Piombino is well known as a base for visiting the entire archaeological park, the Etruscan necropolis and acropolis with a route through the woods that leads to Populonia. The necropolis overlooks the Gulf of Baratti: In Roman times, and before then, in Etruscan times, Baratti was a port for the transport of ferrous minerals extracted in the area and on Elba island. Today, Baratti is part of the Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia.
Piombino
Situated on a headland north of the Gulf of Follonica, Piombino was settled by the Etruscans as the port of the city state of Populonia, later coming under the Romans. Piombino still has numerous examples of its past, from the many churches (for example the Cathedral of Sant’Antimo dating from 1377) to numerous civil buildings including the Town Hall (1444) and Palazzo Appiani (circa mid-fourteenth century).
Piombino is connected by a ferry service with daily departures to Elba island and other islands of the Tuscan archipelago.
San Vincenzo
San Vincenzo is an important seaside and tourist resort on the Etruscan Coast, north of the Municipality of Piombino. Along the coast between San Vincenzo and the Gulf of Baratti is the Rimigliano Nature Park. This public beach has “SOS stations” with lifeguard service. Mid-distance from the Poggio all’Agnello resort (15-30 minutes by car) are several charming medieval towns.
MEDIEVAL TOWNS OF THE ETRUSCAN COAST
Bibbona
A small, attractive medieval town situated in the Val di Cecina area just a few kilometres from the sea, with characteristic stone streets and alleyways, Bibbona has some buildings of historic and artistic importance, including the Pieve di Sant’Ilario Church (dating from the early eleventh century), the Old Town Hall and the Church Santa Maria della Pietà (early fifteenth century).
The extensive “Macchia della Magona” wood with numerous trekking routes and trails for nature lovers is in the Bibbona area.
Bolgheri
The town of Bolgheri is close to Castagneto Carducci, in the heart of Livorno Maremma area. This small town of medieval origin was settled around the castle, an ancient manor house built circa 1200 and today a central part of the extensive estate which is so well-known for its production of wine of the same name “Bolgheri DOC”.
Castagneto Carducci
The characteristic town of Castagneto Carducci lies on a hill with the original parts of the town – the medieval castle and Church of San Lorenzo – at the top. Since medieval times, the history of Castagneto Carducci has been linked to that of the noble family it belonged to, the Della Gherardesca, who influenced its development and fortunes over the centuries. The town was originally called Castagneto Marittimo, but was changed to Castagneto Carducci in the early twentieth century in honour of the poet Giosuè Carducci, who lived there for several years during his childhood.
Campiglia Marittima
Campiglia Marittima is an ancient medieval town in the Livorno Maremma area. The term “Marittima” shows that the town is part of the Maremma (in Latin Maritima). Although it was probably settled before the medieval ages, from as early on as Etruscan times, Campiglia Marittima is first mentioned in a deed of donation dating from 1004, in which the Second Count of Gherardesca gave half of the castle and other property to the Monastery of Santa Maria di Serena. Besides delightful, characteristic views, visitors can admire the town’s Archaeological Museum housed in the medieval Palazzo Pretorio, and the San Silvestro Rocca (fortress) in the San Silvestro mines park.
Suvereto
This superb medieval town, with origins dating back to before the year 1000, set on the slopes of hills overlooking the sea and Etruscan Coast, in the verdant valley crossed by the River Cornia, with its wealth of history and art, is a true gem. The town (awarded the Orange Flag for quality in tourism, hospitality and the environment by Touring Club Italiano), with its stunning architecture, is home, within its ancient walls, to stone alleyways and houses, historic palazzos, charming churches and shady cloisters. Dense woods of cork, chestnut and oak trees, and the Mediterranean maquis stretch down to the sea. The flourishing countryside, with its vineyards and centuries-old olive groves, is crossed by the Wine Trail. Here there are numerous farms, oil mills, wineries and holiday farms, where visitors can taste local produce and typical dishes of a genuine gastronomic tradition. The ancient traditions of Suvereto live on in the skills handed down for generations.
Massa Marittima
Just 40km from Poggio all’Agnello lies the historic town of Massa Marittima dating from the late middle ages. Massa Marittima has some superb examples of religious and civil architecture, including the San Cerbone Cathedral (1200), Palazzo del Podestà (1200) which also houses the Art Gallery and Archaeological Museum, the Town Hall with the acclaimed Cappella dei Priori (Priori Chapel) and medieval town walls which still surround the old town.
From the Poggio all’Agnello resort, guests can easily visit some of Tuscany’s most famous historic towns and cities, in around one hour by car.
Volterra
Volterra is around 75 kilometres from Poggio all’Agnello, and can easily be reached by car or motorbike in about one hour. Volterra is an Etruscan town of which traces are still visible in the historic centre, for example the Porta all’Arco (dating from the III-II century BC), which is in excellent condition, and the Porta Diana with the stones of this gate dating from the same period. Situated at the top of a hill, Volterra affords stunning views over the magnificent Tuscan countryside and superb architecture of the town. Volterra boasts some outstanding examples of civil and religious architecture, including the Palazzo dei Priori (1246), the heart of the town, Volterra Cathedral (1100-1200), in Romanic style, the Theatre dating from Roman times (1st century BC) and numerous medieval tower houses.
San Gimignano
If you stop off at Volterra, you can also visit the delightful, historic town of San Gimignano in Toscana, just 30 km further on. Famous for its largely intact 13th century plan, visitors can take a virtual tour of a medieval town with its tower houses, and religious and civil buildings. Because of the plague and famine, San Gimignano quickly declined and was abandoned in the fourteenth century, leaving its architecture and planning as they were at that time intact. These vicissitudes mean that today San Gimignano can offer visitors a remarkable historic opportunity.
Pisa
Another easy trip, about one hour by car from Poggio all’Agnello (99 km), is to the historic city of Pisa, with its “Campo dei Miracoli”, the popular name given to the monumental square of the city’s stunning Cathedral (in Romanic Pisan style, dating from 1064 AD), the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa (the Cathedral bell tower), which started to lean while it was being built, the Baptistery (1152) and the Campo Santo monumental complex (1278-1464). The “Miracoli”, with their superb architecture, are the buildings in Cathedral Square in Pisa, according to a definition given by the poet and writer Gabriele D’Annunzio, which became part of the vernacular.
VISITING ELBA ISLAND
Elba island lies around 10 kilometres off the coast and easily be reached from Poggio all’Agnello thanks to the ferry services that sail from Piombino every hour (the journey takes around 45 minutes). In summer, the hydrofoil service also operates to Portoferraio, with an intermediate stop at Cavo. Elba island is famous the world over for its unspoilt seascapes and crystal clear waters.
An untamed nature, plus a wealth of tourist facilities and services, attract a great many visitors each year, who represent the island’s main source of income. The island’s variety of coves, cliffs and beaches for diving and admiring shipwrecks and spectacular underwater scenery, with a wealth of marine fauna and flora, are a huge attraction for scuba diving fans. Delicious food and wine are also on offer, with numerous types of fish (white sea bream, gilthead, dentex and sea bass), and local wines. Elba is renowned for its sweet wine Aleatico, and more recently for its Elba Doc wine.
Elba island, with its superb beaches and crystal clear waters, makes for an unforgettable day trip from Poggio all’Agnello. It is also perfect for visitors travelling by motorbike.
