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A rustic-but-elegant room in the Maremma. The highly regarded cooking is inspired by regional cuisine and seasonal ingredients. Bread and pasta are home-made; the wine list is vast.

This modestly scaled resort island derives its name from Aethalia , the Greek word for the sparks of its busy iron forges. Portoferraio, where ferries arrive from Piombino, has two fortress/parks, Napoleon’s Villa dei Mulini (his Villa San Martino south of town is more interesting, however), and a small archaeological museum. Porto Azzuro was the island’s Spanish capital and is today a bustling resort that manages to retain something of the old fishing town. Hilltop Capoliveri has the best nightlife and evocative medieval alleyways. Ancient Marciana is a good hill town base for exploring the island’s western half.

Portoferraio may be bland, but boats can whisk you to secluded beaches on the northeast shore. The western coast has rocky shoals (good for snorkelling) and, south of Fetovaia, sandy beaches on tiny inlets.

Unassuming beachfront shack serving Elba’s best seafood, freshest vegetables and excellent desserts. The tiny courtyard at the back leads onto the pebble beach.

The “Etruscan Coast” south of Livorno includes pine-shaded, sandy, semi-secluded Marina di Albarese and the sandy resort of San Vincenzo.

Pick up a map in town or at Sorano’s fortress, to explore the tombs and vie cave hidden in the countryside.

One of Italy’s top restaurants, with an elegant, blue-and-white Neo-classical dining room and a menu rich in seafood.

Grubby Grosseto lacks real charm, but its Museo Civico Archeologico e d’Arte della Maremma is a must for Etruscan lovers. Many of the more portable finds from the Maremma are housed here, along with works of art from city churches, including Guido da Siena’s 13th-century Last Judgement and a Sassetta Madonna of the Cherries . The 13th-century church of San Francesco has fresco fragments and a high altar Crucifix (1285) attributed to Duccio.

Tourist office brochures lay out a dozen hikes from 90 mins to all day. The most rewarding is up (or down; you may ride the cable car one way) the Monte Capenne, past Sanctuario di San Cerbone church.

Guided rides from an Orbetello lagoon base. Moonlit rides June to September.