Sometimes my job grants really great opportunities. The chance to discover and the chance to share the beauties of Tuscany and promote tourism here.
It would be a pleasure to share with you everything we did in the last week-end during the first Costa d’Argento Fam Trip which I organized for tour operators, journalists, and buyers of the wine and food industry…….but as usual, I invite you to come here and experience personally!
So first of all, where is Costa d’Argento? It’s the Southern coast of Tuscany, including Giglio Island, Monte Argentario, Orbetello, Capalbio and Magliano in Toscana: a variety of landscapes, colours, atmospheres.
Gigio Island was our first stop, and it was a stunning surprise for everybody. 
The island is still so wild, protected by National Park of Tuscany Archipelago, with a variety of rocky and sandy beaches….a pearl of Mediterranean beauty at just one hour ferryboat ride from Porto S. Stefano harbour.
Giglio Island is also a “gourmet” place to be: starting from the DOC wines, produced on terraces overlooking the sea, Giglio local productions are tasteful, reminding old flavours in cakes, biscuits, and savoury products. 
Not to talk about the fish…just to mention one of the things we tasted: “tonnina”. “Tonnina” is made with tuna fish, sliced in small strips, and given special flavour and taste by herbs and spices…..never tasted it anywhere else in Italy and in the world!
Business meetings were held on the terrace and the lounge of the Arenella Hotel, just overlooking the Arenella beach. 
After Giglio Island, we came back to mainland, and travelled along the panoramic road of Monte Argentario, the promontory famous as VIP destination, but also for being a divers paradise!
Porto S. Stefano and Orbetello bear the signs of Spanish ruling, when that area was the kingdom called “PRESIDIOS”, a place where only soldiers lived in order to control the coast. Fortresses and watchtowers spread along the coast are beautiful evidences of the Spanish years, still very charming today. 
After the panoramic route of Monte Argentario, we drove to the Argentario Golf Resort&Spa. An oasis of green, with outstanding views of the hills and the sea, a fine design, a top quality venue for golf lovers.
We then headed to the village of Capalbio, on the hills from where you can enjoy a beautiful view on the coast and on the local vineyards.
Capalbio historical city centre is wrapped into a small cosy hamlet still enchanting travellers from all over the world, famous for its wines, VIP places, an international short film festival and much more.
We joined the local “Wild boar Festival” eating outdoor under the stars, in the very traditional atmosphere of Italian typical food&wine feasts: everybody was happy to eat “polenta with wild boar sauce”, “wild boar alla cacciatora” and so on…..good wine and good company made the rest of the evening!
Day 2 started with the visit of Talamone historical city centre: another beau
tiful fortified village, with a cosy harbour, a kite surfers beach, an ethernal glomour feeling……I have been always in love with Talamone, and this recent visit of the village and the view from Capoduomo Hotel (which we showed to our guests) just confirmed that “everlasting” love!
After Talamone, we enjoed a bus ride along the camping area running along the coast, followed by the visit of Antica Fattoria La Parrina, to get deeply into the finest world of local wines.
The experience at La Parrina deserve its own story, and I think I will post it later: the beautiful estate, the old farmhouses, the wine cellars and the barriques, the elegant style of the interiors, the quality of wines, and last but really not least the passion and love for wine and for welcoming people shown by the owner Franca Spinola.
After this visit we moved to St. Bruzio Abbey ruins, in the middle of a typical Tuscan landscape, on the hills with lines of cypresses, in a surreal image given also by the heat of the day and by the history of the Abbey itself. 
A quick drive under Magliano in Toscana walls, and then back towards the coast, passing through magnificent landscapes made of vineyards, olive groves and farmhouses. We arrived at Torre dell’Osa Hotel, where the second part of the day would have started after a very nice buffet lunch.
The afternoon was again dedicated to workshops of tourism and food and wine: our hosted buyers had the unusual, I would say unique!, chance to do the workshop sitting outside, along the swimming pool…….a very nice way to do business meetings!
The day was long, we ended at around 18:30, and then everybody was driven back to his hotel, to relax before enjoying our last dinner together…..
A terrace overlooking Argentario, a warm night, the lights shining on the sea, the fantastic food, a nice live music…..Argentario Osa Village welcomed us at its best, and that was a night we will keep in our memories for a very long time! 
On the last day everybody had a different program, also according to flights departures, but still people were able to do extra visits.
We are very satisfied with this first experience, a milestone in Costa d’Argento marketing and promotional activity! We are now ready to think about the future, and think about it with a very positive attitude!
text and photos by Rosanna Capitani – all rights reserved
I
Wow….looks fabulous!!!