CASTIGLIONE DELLA PESCAIA
“It’s hard work tramping around golf resorts all day long, eating fancy food and quaffing bottles of the finest plonk. Believe it or not, we needed a couple of days off! ”
I looked at the map trying to figure out where we could go. The nearby city of Grosseto had some appeal. We enjoy mooching around a city, sampling Italy as everyday Italians do especially when staying in so many fancy five-star resorts.
An Airbnb in downtown Grosseto was beckoning but I could tell by the reaction of our present hotel manager and Ilaria, our Tuscan Tourist Board mentor that this might not be our best bet. Hmmm! OK, we’ll go with local knowledge…
I found a nice sunny spot, immediately outside our bedroom and beneath the Rocca or Castle that dates back to the 15th century.
And Ewan found a beer…
CASTIGLIONE DELLA PESCAIA
Castiglione della Pescaia is a little harbour town by the sea. Our hotel was called ‘Albergo Rossella’ and the hire car’s onboard GPS took us there or thereabouts.
“There it is,” Ewan said as we pulled into a side street. A door was open and looked onto a small reception area. As we prepared to pull in our cases, a woman came to the doorway clearly not expecting anyone.
“This is the hotel Albergo Rossella, right?” I asked. She pointed across the street to another ‘Albergo’, a sister property perhaps, part of the ‘Albergo’ group?? For some reason it dawned on me, perhaps abetted by the woman’s incredulous look. ‘Albergo’ is the Italian word for hotel!
Our ‘Albergo Rossella’ was ideal; clean, quiet, only a block from the beach, perhaps 200 metres from the town centre and best of all cheap! We checked in and discovered there was a sundeck immediately outside our room. I hit a sun lounger, Ewan found a beer and all was well in our little Italian world.
BIKE TOUR
Ewan look at the bikes somewhat incredulously as they were rusty shadows of their original selves.
On the hotel website, I noticed they offered free use of bikes. The ‘fleet’ was fairly rusty being left out in the sea air 24 hours at a time but we managed to find a couple that looked like they might do the job. The esplanade was bike friendly and soon we were in the saddle and ready to explore.
Cycling and sightseeing is thirsty work and so is dining on an amazing Italian lunch
Castiglione Della Pescaia seems to be a fun-spot! Lots of pleasure craft in the docks, some fishing boats, paddleboards and windsurfers. Gelato shops abound which is always a good sign. But it’s all tastefully done or at least unforced in that inimitable Italian way.
EVENING
In the evening we walked back along the esplanade to the old town. I love the way things spill out onto the street here. Shops selling local produce, wine, cured meats, olive oil, standard Italian fair seem to overflow in an effort to lure you in. It works!
There’s very little tackiness. Even in a touristy town like this, Italians have an enduring sense of class. Wine shops are more like libraries where you can study numerous vintages looking for something tasty for the evening. And I’m sure they all are. I just wish I knew more about wine. All I know is, after five years of living in Portugal, I just love drinking the stuff!
A library of wine. The thing is, 99% of the clientele are Italian so it’s all going to be great.
VISITING THE TOWN
The town of Castiglione Della Pescaia developed around an ancient castle (or Castello as they say in Italian). There's a busy harbour with mainly leisure craft but judging by the name 'Della Pescaia' it was and still is a busy fishing port.
A sunset snuggle!
The beach seems to be the main attraction now.
I was surprised to learn somewhere on the internet that the town ranked 4th among the most visited destinations in Tuscany only preceded by Florence, Pisa and Montecatini Terme. Seemed like we were on the right path!
DINING OUT
We asked around to find out where best to dine.
Allesandro Restaurant came highly recommended and we came away highly happy.
From the food and wine perspective, Castiglione della Pescaia is one of the best places for a holiday in Tuscany. Excellent wines are produced in this area along with superb cheeses and cured meats. But the best is possibly wild boar, which is prepared as a second course or as a condiment for tortelli alla Maremmana. And of course in an arera like this you can’t go wrong with the fish dishes, such as the risotto alla Femminelle, Anguilla sfumata (eel) and baccalà alla Maremma.
