terra etrusca

yesterday my husband and i found ourselves in the car with no kids and an hour to kill before lunch at tullio in capalbio. we decided to drop by an organic market, restaurant, b&b place called terra etrusca. it opened a few years ago and specializes in farm to table produce. 

entering from the road there is ample parking, nice views and lush gardens

inside you find whatever they have in production, depending on season and avaliabilty. when we walked in they had just received a big, gorgeous box of little strawberries fresh from the fields. we served them for desert with a sprinkle of sugar and lemon juice. divine. 

they also have a small but valid selection of homemade sauces and canned veggies, jams, oils and local wines. all 100% bio and produced within a stones throw of the shop.

Terra Etrusca S.a.r.l.

Via Piemonte, 6

58011 Capalbio Stazione (GR)

tel. +39 0564 898699

fax +39 0564 1882001

info@terraetrusca.it

Tullio

in the hilltop town of capalbio you'll find one of the maremma regions best restaurants. tullio is a family run joint, they also own the adjoining trattoria. tullio, being the more 'upscale' of the two, consistently serves up some of the yummiest and most refined rustic tuscan fare. you cannot go wrong with their namesake soup. i can't tell you whats inside, a little bit of everything i imagine. it literally melts in your mouth. 

in the warmer and transitional seasons they usually serve on this covered terrace which looks over a winding road, rooftops and beyond to where the rolling hills meet the sea. 

the soup. order it. 

it's one of those places that is hard to get a bad meal, but we repeatedly order the stinco di miale and have never ever been disappointed. as the saying goes, it's like butta.

the covered terrace as seen from the road.

in the winter they serve inside in a typically intimate and dim country room. 

a view over the city walls. not hard to see why romans escape the city and flock en mass to this corner of tuscany every chance they get!  

tullio

via nuova, 27, Capalbio, Italia

0564/896196

old but good

check out this link to an older article in the new york times about the tuscan coast. a few years old, but still very informative. the tuscan coast is my favorite area of italy. from the southern most tip of the capalbio to forte dei marmi and everything in between. it spans the gamut from rustic chic to high end to over the top. something for everyone. 

a small island off the argentario coast

the whitewashed restaurant and beach club ultima spiaggia in capalbio. only an hour and change north of rome. the beaches are wild and miraculously undeveloped. 

the port town of porto ercole. great for people watching, cocktails and ice cream.

driving along the panoramic road from porto ercole town towards the famed hotel il pelicano 

looking down into the blue green waters and private beach at il pelicano. the height of luxury. 

a typical bay along the peninsula  of monte argentario. you can find public beaches like this one, or pay for a couple of beds and an umbrella. the services here are less fancy than those of the northern tuscan coast like forte dei marmi, but the waters are stunning. 

the manicured loveliness of forte dei marmi. this beach in particular is my favorite, l'orsa maggiore.