Porto Santo Stefano is the capital of the municipality of Monte Argentario, in the province of Grosseto and can be reached in about twenty minutes from our hotel. Charming seaside village on the east coast of the Argentario and equipped marina and shopping, the village overlooks a bay dominated by the mighty piers of the Spanish fortresses. Today it is a popular tourist resort, which boasts a number of years with the Blue Flag, a prestigious award given by the FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education) to the best coastal resorts in Europe. With Porto Ercole, is one of the two major towns that form the joint.
Historical Background
Porto Santo Stefano, situated in the north of Monte Argentario, is the largest center of this promontory. Due to its favorable geographical location was frequented by the ancient peoples who sailed in the Mediterranean. The Romans have left their traces of their presence (including the remains of the baths of Domitian) and in Porto Santo Stefano showed their cards with different names, including Portus Portus Traianus and to Cetarias. In 1801 he joined the kingdom of Etruria and in 1815 with the Treaty of Vienna came under the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
In 1842 the Grand Duke Leopold II of Lorraine founded the community of Monte Argentario, where Porto Santo Stefano and Porto Ercole was the capital of the fraction. Finally, in 1860, together with the whole of Tuscany became part of the Kingdom of Italy. Until the end of World War II, the main sources of the economy santostefanese were represented agriculture, fisheries and shipping. From the sixties on the other hand has developed considerably tourism coming to be the main resource in the economy of the area.
Events
Among the most important events that take place in Porto Santo Stefano, one of the most important is surely the “Palio fishing.” A rowing regatta annual event held 4,000 m, with typical boats called “guzzi” (goiter classic) on the day of August, one of the 4 districts Santostefanesi. The prize, which started in 1937 and interrupted from 1940 to 1944, due to World War dellaseconda, sees in the gold district Pilarella of 23 wins, 18 Cross, 16 and 12 of the Valley of the Fortress.
