The town of Orbetello is surrounded by lagoons and attracts young, active tourists wanting to make of their holidays. At Orbetello the past and present merge together to give you a perfect blend of the old and the new. The old and new sounds play in your ears all day – the cell phone and radios at the same time as tubas and cymbals.

Orbetello is a laid back, unassuming place, lined with palm trees, the pastel-coloured remnants of its Spanish walls, and a lively passeggiata each evening along its main street, Corso Italia. It was Etruria's leading port, though little evidence of an ancient past remains: the sixteenth-century Spanish fortifications are the town's conspicuous feature.

Getting there

The train station is 4km east at Orbetello Scalo. Buses originating in Rome or Grosseto run from Orbetello station to the bus stops near the tourist office at Piazza della Repubblica 1 (daily: July & Aug 10am-12.30pm & 5-9pm; April-June, Sept & Oct 10am-12.30pm & 4-8pm; tel 0564 861 226). Roads from Orbetello head north and south around the base of Monte Argentario.

Accommodation & Food

Most of the area's thirteen campsites are on and around the lagoon; (tel 0564 831 090, fax 0564 867 175; April to mid-Oct), the only site on the southern Tombolo di Feniglia.

Orbetello's best restaurant for a treat is the Osteria del Lupacante, Corso Italia 103 (closed Tues), but less pricey options include the Cantuccio, Via Mentana 7 (closed Mon), which has a small garden in summer.