Monte Argentario
The Argentario is a rocky promontory of the Tuscan Maremma , overlooking the crystal clear waters of the Tyrrhenian coast.
Already inhabited in Etruscan times, the promontory & nbsp; became a place of strategic importance under the Roman Empire, when it became a property of the Domizi Enobarbi family, also nicknamed “Gli Argentari”, hence the name of Monte Argentario. < / p>
The medieval period sees the alternation of power of the Aldobrandeschi, the Orsini, the Kingdom of Naples, the Republic of Siena and the Spaniards, who arrived on the coasts in 1500, it is thanks to the Spaniards that the main fortifications of the Argentario, still existing today, Forte Stella, Forte Filippo, Spanish Fortress.
On the promontory there are two charming villages, Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano .
In the south-west part of Monte Argentario we find Porto Santo Stefano , a characteristic seaside village, among the streets of the historic center there are some interesting monuments:
- the Church of Santo Stefano, originally built in the 18th century, suffered serious damage during the Second World War, was rebuilt in 1950
- the Church of the Immaculate Conception, dating back to 1979
- Church of the Holy Trinity, just outside the town, in the locality of Pozzarello
- Spanish fortress, built between the end of 1500 and the beginning of 1600, under the State of the Presidi
- Torre di Lividonia and Torre del Calvello, both Spanish, dating back to the end of 1500
On the eastern side of the Argentario we find Porto Ercole , here you can visit:
- Palazzo dei Governanti, in Piazza Santa Barbara, dates back to the first half of the 16th century to a design by Agostino Chigi, later it became the residence of the Spanish governors
- Church of Sant’Erasmo, whose original nucleus dates back to the 14th century
- Church of San Rocco, outside the town, was restored during the 1700s
- Forte Stella and Forte Filippo, both dating back to the 16th century, built in the Spanish era
