Planning your next weekend escape? Why not to explore the wild Feniglia Natural Reserve, the perfect destination to combine a swim in the cristal clear waters of a protected area, beautiful sunsets over the lagoon, a glamourous cocktail in the beautiful Porto Santo Stefano and some nice biking opportunities. Check out here the top things you can not miss!
"Colors are the smiles of Nature" - Leigh Hunt
Our itinerary in a nutschell
Day 1: Feniglia (how to get there and what to see)
Day 2: Porto Ercole - Forte San Filippo - Orbetello
If you have more time, spent an additional day in this area taking part to a one day boat tour from the near Porto Santo Stefano to Giglio and Giannutri Islands. For all the details, have a look at the article dedicated to this experience on the blog as well as to the posts and stories dated July 2018 on our Instagram page @2intour
Argentario is a beautiful foreland sorrounded by the sea and characterized by its unique connection with the mainland by two long and narrow strips of land called Tombolo (i.e. a long stretch of coast surrounded by dunes typical of some sandy coasts of Central Italy): Giannella and Feniglia.
This area is plenty of cycle paths and campings.. a real paradise for nature lovers and travelers who prefer an escape en plein air and quiet places!
Our 2 days itinerary starts from Feniglia's Natural Reserve and continues to some of the unmissable places you can easily reach with a daily tour, suggested in Summer but nice also in Spring.. let's start!
Feniglia
The easiest way to get there is by car, heading Orbetello then following the direction to Porto Ercole and Feniglia. There are several parking areas along the last stretch of road, some of them equipped to host caravans also for the night (electricity, wi-fi, etc). It is advisable to arrive early in the morning especially in the weekend and in pick season (July- August) to find a good space.
For this short holiday we opt for a self-drive trip with our Caravan to be free to explore the surroundings in complete authonomy and enjoy some time en plein air.
Staying in the Feniglia Camping (more info at http://www.campingfeniglia.it/) is the best choice to spend any useful minute of our long weekend in this area; in fact the camp benefits of an incredible position, just few meters by walk from the Natural Reserve
and surrounded by a cycle circuit connecting the Camping with Porto Ercole (3 km) and Orbetello (4 km).
The first day, we get up early and we head to the beach to conquer a seafront position but also to try welcome our newest entry: the DJI Mavic Mini drone (https://www.dji.com/it/mavic-mini?site=brandsite&from=nav).. we are very excited!
After practicing a bit with the easiest maneuvers and shooting some pics and short videos, we take a break and enjoy the quiet of the place, sunbathing and swimming on
this wild and fascinating Natural Reserve: 7km of gold sand kissed by a crystal clear sea and a lush pine forest behind.
Here the beach is really well organized and in respect of the environment protection is partially equipped and partially free.
Considering the Covid-19 pandemic virus and related measures to prevent the diffusion of the spread, part of the free sector has been organised with stakes planted on the ground at 4 meters distance each others to suggest the right point to put the beach umbrella respect ing the social distancing.. very clever!
There is also a specific sector dedicated to people with dogs!
At mid afternoon we decide to come back to the camping for a refreshing shower; it's time to take our bikes and start the second half of our day in the Natural Reserve with a relaxing and easy ring path of 11km in the lush pine forest and along the lagoon.
Porto Ercole - Forte San Filippo - Orbetello
The second day, we decide to enjoy some hours again in Feniglia's beach taking the 6 km walk early in the morning along the coastline, with a well deserved swimming in the crystal clear waters in the hottest hours of the day.
After lunch, we ride our bikes to visit the nearby fishing village of Porto Ercole. In reality we discover that it is becoming a really glamourous location (especially at sunset) for boat lovers, with crowded restaurants and bars where to have a lovely dinner or a cocktail chatting with friends.
Considering the mass of people around we prefer to jump back to our bike and to embrace the uphill road to Forte San Filippo: an amazing fort just outside the village with an incredibly beautiful viewpoint over the lagoon and Porto Ercole.
The street is approx 1.5km uphill, partially graveled and not really comfortable for city bikes but once reached the top the view is beautiful and absolutely worths the effort!
Before coming back to the Camping, we decide to end our adventure heading Orbetello for a short visit of the village and to see the sunset on the lagoon: the sky is partially cloudy but creates a suggestive atmosphere!
To discover more about these places have a look to our posts and stories dedicated to Feniglia Natural Reserve dated July 2020 on our Instagram page @2intour
Did you enjoy our article? Read the other articles and for more photos and videos follow our IG page @2intour