Why This Quietly Glamorous Tuscan Seaside Town Is Having a Moment

In its mid-century heyday, Porto Ercole, a small seaside village on the eastern coast of Tuscany’s Monte Argentario, was much like Portofino—and perhaps even like Portofino as we know it today: a beloved seaside hideaway frequented by the glitterati, where jetties jutting out from its rocky shoreline graced with colorful umbrellas offered holiday tropes more commonly associated with the Italian Riviera or the Amalfi Coast.

Albeit lesser-known, Monte Argentario’s biggest appeal to in-the-know travelers is its location. Situated just 1.5 hours from Rome by car and connected to the mainland by a road that divides two lagoons, it’s more accessible than other seaside retreats like Ponza or Elba, which are reached by ferries. As it’s in the Maremma region of southern Tuscany, precisely where the Mediterranean and the vineyards meet, there’s more to fill your time here than just sun-soaked days by the sea; beyond wine tasting, culture-seekers can meander through Porto Ercole’s historic Borgo Antico, or old town, as they make their way to La Rocca, the Spanish-era fortress that was built to protect it.

The two main towns that form the municipality of Monte Argentario are Porto Santo Stefano on the western side, which is three times larger with a lively waterfront and more shops and restaurants than the smaller fishing village of Porto Ercole, located in the east. While both are historic fishing villages known for their medieval forts and picturesque harbors, Porto Ercole provides a more intimate experience. For travelers with time, it’s worth visiting both—from waking up to the sunrise in Porto Ercole, to catching the sunset in Porto Santo Stefano.

While Porto Ercole remains one of Italy’s most authentic seaside villages, the years following its golden age saw younger generations retreating elsewhere for their summer holidays, thus delaying development and leaving in their wake Porto Ercole’s only notable institution: Il Pellicano. If even the most discerning travelers haven’t heard of Porto Ercole, surely they’ve heard of its most esteemed resort. Though travelers visiting Il Pellicano aren’t typically coming to explore Porto Ercole per se, but rather to hide away at the hotel—and who can blame them? With its picturesque beach etched into the cliffside, pool, restaurants, tennis courts, and spa, Il Pellicano, by design, has created its own little village designed to keep you there.

With the opening of La Roqqa, a laid-back, family-owned luxury hotel inspired by the 1960s Dolce Vita and the only luxury hotel in the heart of the town, guests are encouraged to discover the unique allure of Porto Ercole outside the hotel’s walls. While other hotels in the area tout exclusivity and isolation, it was important for the Swedish-born Jonsson family, who fell in love with Porto Ercole’s dramatic scenery and authentic untouched charms when they began spending their summers here 12 years ago, to create a place that affords guests the freedom to explore the magic of this forgotten paradise.

“It feels as though time has stopped here,” Anton Jonsson muses. “Despite its attractiveness, there are very few tourists, especially foreign tourists. The place remains so true to its history and tradition, with architecture and food culture preserved much as they have always been.” The area, he explains, hasn’t bent itself to the demands of global tourism that too often erode the soul of a place. “And there is plenty to do: visiting cultural sites, beautiful beaches, hiking trails, diving spots, the vineyards, and exploring the other islands of the archipelago.”

The family’s passion for the area and its history is reflected throughout the design of the hotel, for which they enlisted help from Milanese design house, Palomba e Serafini Associati Studio to create an environment that combined contemporary Italian design with nostalgic tropes of 1960s dolce vita. Mid-century furniture by Italian greats, such as Gaetano Pesce and Ettore Sottsass punctuate the lobby and public spaces, evoking the town’s original spirit of mid-century glamour. Meanwhile, the 55 rooms and suites remain simple, reflecting the typical colors of the landscape and local buildings maintaining a sense of harmony with the environment. The hotel also reveals its efforts towards sustainability through subtle but meaningful details, from the water filters available in every guest room, to its partnership with CARITAS to ensure unused food finds a way to those in need daily.

But where La Roqqa really comes alive is on its rooftop restaurant, Scirocco, which boasts sweeping views overlooking Porto Ercole port and the Corsini Botanical Gardens and serves traditional Tuscan cuisine paired with local wines and inventive cocktails. If guests ascend to the rooftop in search of a pool, they won’t find one—a conscious decision that the owners hope emboldens guests to leave the hotel and explore the many wonders of Porto Ercole—perhaps beginning with a walk to La Roqqa’s Isolotto Beach Club, located just five minutes away in a secluded bay on the peninsula’s only sandy stretch, which is sure to become the new social hub of Monte Argentario with its two beachside restaurants, open-air gym, and yoga pavilion.

La Roqqa’s guest experience team led by the jovial Luca consists almost exclusively of locals who grew up in the area, keen on providing its guests with customized experiences on and around Monte Argentario, from organizing bespoke boat trips to nearby coves, cycling and hiking excursions on the peninsula, or visits to wineries and the Capalbio Gardens.

The Jonssons’ vocation to reawaken Monte Argentario has only just begun, with a few more hotel projects in the works, including transforming an abandoned Porto Ercole sardine factory into a full-service, five-star hotel with a spa, and the rebranding of an existing boutique hotel in Porto Santo Stefano which they plan to refurbish and re-open with a fresh, elevated sensibility. But for now, La Roqqa is enough to make us wonder how it’s taken us so long to uncover the magic of Monte Argentario.