Southern Tuscany - Florence and Tuscany - page 470

150 years include the viceroy's residence on Piazza Eroe dei Due Mondi, the fort and the city
walls , parts of which are the original Etruscan fortification.
The best place for observing bird life on Orbetello Lagoon (where as many as 140 spe-
cies have been identified) is at the L'Oasi WWF di Orbetello ( www.wwf.it ; SS Aurelia, Località
Ceriolo; adult/reduced €5/3; guided visits 9.30am & 1.30pm Sat & Sun Sep-Apr) north of town,
which is owned and operated by the Italian branch of the WWF.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
MAGLIANO IN TOSCANA
A 23km drive inland from Orbetello will get you to this hilltop town, fortified by monumental walls
built between the 14th and 16th centuries. There's not much to see other than the Romanesque
churches of San Martino and San Giovanni Battista (the latter with a remodelled Renaissance facade),
but the trip is well rewarded by lunch in the pretty sheltered garden at Antica Trattoria Aurora (
05 6459 2030; Via Chiasso Lavagnini 12/14; meals €45; noon-2.30pm & 7.30-10pm Thu-Tue
Mar-Dec), a restaurant serving excellent modern Tuscan cuisine. Those after a more casual, less ex-
pensive lunch can eat in the restaurant's attached cantina (dishes €5 to €12). To get to the town, take
the Albinia exit off the SS1 and then turn left onto the SS323.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Monte Argentario
POP 12,500
Once an island, this rugged promontory came to be linked to the mainland by an accumu-
lation of sand that is now the isthmus of Orbetello. Further sandy bulwarks form the Tom-
bolo della Giannella and Tombolo di Feniglia to the north and south. They enclose a la-
goon that is now a protected nature reserve . Sadly, overdevelopment has spoiled the north-
ern side of the promontory, particularly around the crowded harbour of Porto Santo Stefano ,
a favourite weekend getaway for Romans in the summer. Ambitious hotel and restaurant
prices make it poor value in the high season, and parking is cutthroat; we suggest visiting
on a day trip and then hightailing it inland for accommodation options.
If you're driving, follow signs for the narrow and sometimes dangerously overcrowded
Via Panoramica , a circular route offering great coastal views over the water to the hazy
whaleback of the Isola de Giglio.