Villas in Maremma Coast

Castiglione della Pescaia and Punta Ala suit beach families, Monte Argentario suits boat days, and Massa Marittima suits a hill-town base. This is the quieter southern Tuscan coast, with pine-backed sandy beaches and a nature park. Distances are long and buses few, so a car is essential.

Where

Villas: 255
From, per week: £411
Cheapest month: October
Nearest airports: Pisa suits the northern stretch from Follonica to Castiglione, at around an hour and a half to an hour and three quarters. Rome Fiumicino is better for Monte Argentario, Ansedonia and Capalbio, at around an hour and a half. Florence is over two hours from most of the coast. Flights from London take around two hours to two and a half.

Where to stay in Maremma Coast

Castiglione della Pescaia, Tirli and Vetulonia

This is where most of our Maremma villas are. Castiglione della Pescaia has a fishing harbour, a walled old town above it and long sandy beaches either side, with pine woods behind Roccamare and Le Rocchette. Inland, the Diaccia Botrona marsh is good for birdwatching. Tirli is a village in the wooded hills, and Vetulonia has Etruscan tombs and a museum. Pisa airport is around an hour and three quarters away, Rome Fiumicino about two hours.

Best for: Families who want sandy beaches and a harbour town

Not for you if: You want peace in August: Castiglione is one of the busiest resorts on this coast.

Scarlino, Follonica and Gavorrano (Gulf of Follonica)

Scarlino's coast runs from the marina at Puntone to Cala Violina, a sandy cove in the pine woods reached on foot, and Cala Martina beyond. Follonica is a practical seaside town with a long public beach and a station on the Pisa to Rome line. Gavorrano has a mining park in its old mine workings. Pisa airport is about an hour and a half away.

Best for: Coves, cycling and an easy train connection

Not for you if: You want to drive straight to Cala Violina at noon in August: daily numbers are capped in summer.

Massa Marittima

Massa Marittima sits on a hill above the Follonica plain, and its Piazza Garibaldi, with the cathedral of San Cerbone up a flight of steps, is one of the finest medieval squares in Tuscany. The town grew rich on silver and copper, and the mining museum explains how. Restaurants are good and evenings are cooler than on the coast. Follonica's beaches are around 25 minutes by car.

Best for: A hill-town base with beaches 25 minutes away

Not for you if: You want to walk to the sea: this is an inland town above the coastal plain.

Punta Ala

Punta Ala is a planned resort on a headland between Castiglione and Follonica, with a large marina, an 18-hole golf course and villas spread through the pine woods. The beaches are sandy and shelve gently, and some are reached through private estate roads. Shops and restaurants cluster around the port and close for much of the winter. Pisa airport is around an hour and a half away.

Best for: Sailing, golf and a smarter resort

Not for you if: You want a real village: Punta Ala is a modern resort built around its marina, and quiet out of season.

Grosseto and Alberese (Parco della Maremma)

Alberese is the gateway to the Parco della Maremma, a protected strip of hills, pine forest and marsh running down to the sea. Marina di Alberese is a long, undeveloped beach strewn with driftwood, reached by a road with a paid car park and limited capacity in summer. Walking trails start from the visitor centre. Grosseto has a walled centre and the beaches of Marina di Grosseto and Principina a Mare are close by.

Best for: Nature lovers who want wild beaches and walking

Not for you if: You want beach bars and sunbeds: the park beaches have almost no facilities.

Monte Argentario, Ansedonia and Capalbio (southern Maremma)

Monte Argentario is a rocky promontory joined to the mainland by two sandbars, Giannella and Feniglia, each a long beach backed by pines, with the Orbetello lagoon between them. Porto Santo Stefano has ferries to Giglio, about an hour away. Ansedonia sits above Etruscan Cosa, and Capalbio is a walled village near Niki de Saint Phalle's Tarot Garden, open from spring to autumn. Rome Fiumicino is around an hour and a half.

Best for: Boat trips, the Orbetello lagoon and quick access from Rome

Not for you if: You are on a tight budget: Monte Argentario, Ansedonia and Capalbio are the smartest corner of the coast.

When to go to Maremma Coast

June and September are the best months: the sea is warm, the beaches are calmer and prices are lower than in July and August. August is very busy, especially around Ferragosto on 15 August, when Italian families fill the resorts. Mosquitoes can be a nuisance near the lagoons and marshes in summer. From November to March many beach restaurants and shops in Punta Ala and the smaller resorts close, though the towns stay open.