The secret seaside destination in Tuscany you need to know about
I love Tuscany – the rolling hills, the fields of olive trees, the vineyards, the cities and the art – but I had no idea that there was a secret little seaside destination that only those in the know frequent, although that is set to change with the opening of the super-hip La Roqqa hotel and beach club.
The sophisticated hotel is perched on a hill overlooking the picture-perfect harbour of Porto Ercole on Argentario, a slightly wild and romantic-feeling island that is connected to the mainland by a causeway.
This is where Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton escaped to pursue their love affair while filming Cleopatra, and La Roqqa is seriously sexy. I feel like I’m in a 1970s Italian movie – there is an air of la dolce vita, of a bygone era but with super-modern design. The 55 rooms are decorated in earthy terracotta, soft olive green or Aegean blue; the suites are sandy coloured and adorned with modern furniture; and all the rooms have balconies or terraces.
Ours overlooks the harbour – the perfect place to sit and watch the boats coming and going on the sparkling sea. There are nice touches, too – tote bags and flip-flops for guests to use, and Ortigia products from Sicily in the bathrooms. The hotel is plastic-free and each guest gets a metal water bottle to refill from the filtered taps in the rooms. Design books and ceramics (available to buy) by local artisans are imperfectly arranged around the foyer. Most of the staff are local and we can tell– everyone is passionate about the area and recommends things to do, from the best gelato to secret swimming spots only reachable by boat.
There are no tourist-filled beaches here. Instead, La Roqqa has the chic Isolotto Beach Club, where loungers look out over the sea on terraces that lead down to a little sandy cove. I can recommend any of its signature cocktails, particularly the Italian Summer. The real gems here, though, are the rooftop bar and restaurant. Decorated in the same colours as the rooms, with shiny tiled tables and big leafy plants, the restaurant is seriously cool and serves seasonal modern Italian food. The spaghetti with eight types of tomato has already become legendary and lounging up on the Instagrammable roof terrace sipping a negroni with ‘in the know’ others is not to be missed. Although I feel that this little island won’t stay secret for long now that La Roqqa has opened its hip, sophisticated doors.
You Might Also Like
