58 The Times Magazine1 GIGLIO, TUSCANY
Giglio hit the headlines when the cruise ship
Costa Concordia crashed here ten years ago,
but it has been a low-key and unpretentious
destination for Italian holidaymakers for
decades. Roman professionals come here to
unwind, as it’s only an hour’s ferry from Porto
Santo Stefano on the Tuscan coast, which
itself is only an hour and a half from Rome
Fiumicino airport. The La Guardia hotel on
the port served as the salvage operation’s
HQ after the accident. The hotel – tired at
the time – has now changed hands, beenredesigned and is now possibly the best place
to stay on the island. It’s not prohibitively
expensive either. Giglio has a very natural
beauty – human life is sparse and the
landscape is extremely green, covered in pine,
eucalyptus and fig (a must-try is the local fig
bread, panficato). The best beaches are
Spiaggia delle Caldane and Cannelle, both
walkable from the port.
Stay If not at La Guardia then at Pardini’s
Hermitage, a cliffside hotel only reachable by
boat (hermit.it).
Eat Da Maria, in the mountain town of
Castello. Classic Italian food in a restaurantthat hasn’t changed for decades, with sunset
views over the archipelago.2 THE MAREMMA COAST
The Maremma is a coastal region straddling
southern Tuscany and northern Lazio and has
both great beaches and perfectly preserved
ancient villages to explore. One of the most
prized is the medieval town of Capalbio,
dominated by a fortress around which weave
narrow alleyways with stone arches. It is a
popular spot for an evening stroll among the
Renaissance frescoes and a sundowner in a
small cobbled piazza. From there, it’s aWHERE THE
ITALIANS
GO ON HOLIDAY
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