Porto Santo Stefano

Loved by Italian urbanites yet little known outside Rome, this insider escape on the Monte Argentario peninsula is a harbor of bobbing megayachts and restaurants that rival the mainland. Steep cliffs tumble into crystalline seas and secret coves, all presided over by the 17th-century Spanish-built Fortezza Spagnola. Venture out to explore Argentario’s hidden bays and headlands, looking for Roman-built villas as you take in the view to islands in the distance, the start of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park.