Marina, Mare & Sassicaia

We start in the morning to discover the northern ports and beaches of the region.

Starting in Puntone is our first stop, a new beautifully created yacht harbor. Along the sea we drive to Follonica. Have a snack in the city and eat an ice cream on the seafront of Follonica, which has become a successful mix of old fisherman’s houses and state-of-the-art “bagnos”. Here you can walk for hours car-free by the sea or spend a few hours in a Bagno or on wild beaches south or north of the city.

Next we drive to reach the beach at Torre Mozza with stopover Spiaggia Swizzera (the beach so popular with Swiss).

Between Piombino and the old fortress Populonia is a nature reserve, which is predestined for long walks and walks. There are many great bays and sensational views of Elba.

Even after Populonia to San Vincenzo are a lot of fantastic beaches. First, we follow the coast first to the north, to reach the wine highlight of the day. Bolgheri, where such famous wines as Sassicaia or Masetto have their origin.

If there is time left, we take the longer route via Massa Marittima back to Guarda Mare. Finally, we eat a good pizza (guaranteed considering quality and price) at Pizzeria “Il Fornaccio” in Sassofortino.

In wet weather we can take a trip to the thermal bath of Caldana instead of the beach.

The cuisine of the region offers mainly fish dishes. It has also been influenced by the various populations that mingled in the area. The best-known dish is the fish stew Cacciucco. Other specialties include Bordatino (vegetable stew with polenta), Riso al nero di seppia (black risotto with cuttlefish), Baccalà and stoccafisso (salt cod). Triglie alla Livornese are red mullets in a tomato sauce spiced with pepperoni. A popular snack is the Torta di Ceci, crepes made from chickpeas, which is sold like pizza. The Roschette were originally a Jewish Passover dish. Another typical specialty of the area is the Ponce alla Livornese, a strong coffee with rum.

Cabernet grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc have been grown around Bolgheri since the late 1960s and early 1970s. What began as an experiment and a pleasure developed in the aftermath of the phenomenon of the Super Tuscans (Super Tuscans). For example, the Sassicaia from the Tenuta San Guido Winery was one of the world’s most expensive table wines for years, as these grapes did not enjoy DOC status in Tuscany. Meanwhile, he has as Bolgheri, Subzone Sassicaia, awarded the DOC. In contrast, the Tignanello from the wineries of the Marchese Antinori, the Ornellaia and the Masseto from the house Tenuta dell’Ornellaia and the Monteverro from the winery of the same name are still no DOC wines.