Where to stay in Porto Santo Stefano: the base for Argentario, Giglio and Giannutri

Porto Santo Stefano developed as a significant port under Spanish rule, with the Fortezza Spagnola built starting in the late 16th century; it then grew under the Bourbons after 1737, with immigration from southern Italy and Liguria. During the Second World War it was heavily bombed, among the hardest-hit Italian towns after Cassino — a past that today survives only in the rebuilt centre, including the church of Santo Stefano, reconsecrated in 1950.

The Porto del Valle is now the main commercial harbour for Grosseto province and the departure point for ferries (Toremar and Maregiglio) to the Isle of Giglio and Giannutri, while the more intimate Porto Vecchio remains tied to fishing and pleasure boating. Also worth seeing are the Fortezza Spagnola, now a museum, the 19th-century Faro di Lividonia lighthouse, and the Acquario Mediterraneo della Costa d'Argento.

Given its role as a gateway to the islands, Porto Santo Stefano is more a practical base than a quiet destination in itself: a good place to stay if you want to combine Argentario, Giglio and Giannutri without changing accommodation every day, but expect some bustle on ferry days.

Getting there

Porto Santo Stefano is served by provincial road SP161 and the scenic SP65; the nearest railway station is Orbetello-Monte Argentario, on the Tyrrhenian line (the local line that once ran directly to the town closed in 1944).