Porto Ercole
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
Four fortresses watch over Porto Ercole, a harbour on the eastern side of Monte Argentario: the Rocca grew from a tower of 1296, and the Spanish added Forte Filippo, Forte Stella and Forte Santa Caterina when the port joined the State of the Presidi. Caravaggio is said to have died here in 1610, and the walled old town climbs above a harbour now known for sailing.
Highlights
- Forte Filippo and Forte Stella, Spanish forts on the heights above town
- The Rocca, begun as Margherita Aldobrandeschi's Torre di Terra
- Palazzo dei Governanti, seat of the Spanish rulers, on Piazzetta Santa Barbara
- Sant'Erasmo, the old church where the Spanish governors were buried
- Piazza Caravaggio and the memorial to the painter
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Porto Ercole (IT), Porto Ercole (EN)), Wikivoyage (Porto Ercole (IT), Porto Ercole (EN)). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Population: 2,676
Things to see
- Cala Galera (IT)
- Torre Mulinaccio (IT)
- Torre dell'Acqua (IT)
- Porto Vecchio (IT)
- San Paolo della Croce (IT)
- chiesa di San Rocco (IT)
Events through the year
- La Notte dei PiratiTreasure hunt for teams of ten dressed as pirates, Saturday into Sunday
- Feast of Saint ErasmusFishing boat carries the saint's statue and relic in a sea procession
- Palio delle Quattro FortezzeRowing race in the old harbour between four districts named after forts
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikivoyage (Porto Ercole). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Local food & wine
- Caldaro dell'ArgentarioDishTraditional fish soup made with humble fish
- Dried fica maschia figsLocal produceFigs dried on fishing boats, with a festival since 1993
- Bonito in oilLocal produceBonito fillets preserved in oil
Adapted from Wikipedia (Porto Ercole). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
12 places to stay within 3 km
- Campsites 5
- Hotels 4
- B&Bs and guest houses 3
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Thermal baths nearby
- Thermal spa: Terme dell'Osa (IT) · ~33 min by car
- Hot spring: La pozza · ~1 h 04 by car
- Thermal spa: Cascate del Mulino · ~1 h 04 by car
- Thermal spa: Terme di Vulci · ~1 h 06 by car
- Thermal spa: Terme di Saturnia · ~1 h 06 by car
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- Capalbio · 19 km
- Giglio Castello · 25 km
- Montemerano · 34 km
- Pitigliano · 47 km
- Sovana · 47 km