A couple of beach days from Siena

[Golden]

We are planning our itinerary for a trip to Italy. Our plans include Venice, Siena, and Rome and would like to stay somewhere on the coast for a couple of nights as well. We were considering Monte Argentario as we have snorkelers and scuba divers in our group. Our plan is to go from Venice to Siena by train, then rent a car in Siena, drive to Monte Argentario for 2 nights (approx 1 1/2 hour, correct?) then back to a Siena farmhouse. Is this feasible? Do you have any hotel recommendations for Monte Argentairo? Is there a more convenient coastal town for our plans? At one point we were considering Lerici but the dive sites were too far away. Any advice or recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

[Lourdes]

Ciao Golden,

I think Monte Argentario would be perfect for scuba divers and snorkelers, particularly its proximity to Giannutri and Giglio - as would be Elba. But considering your time restraints, definitely Monte Argentario is closer and faster to get to and doable from Siena.

Monte Argentario tends to attract the "rich and famous" type of vacationer so if you want to stay on the promontory, I'd definitely also head to really nice places such as these two:
Baia d'Argento
Torre di Cala Piccola
Of course, you didn't say much about what you're looking for, there are definitely other options as well.... and you could stay off the promontory as well, drive to Porto Santo Stefano for example would not be long if you stayed in Talamone, for example.

As far as diving, Porto Santo Stefano would be the good place to head to - several dividing centers will offer gear rental as well as set excursions. This is just one as an example: http://www.argentarioscubapoint.it/

You can pick up a few more suggestions/links from an old thread here on our forum - both the Argentario and Piombino area are popular for dives: http://www.discovertuscany.com/forum...g-tuscany.html

[Golden]

Ciao Golden,

I think Monte Argentario would be perfect for scuba divers and snorkelers, particularly its proximity to Giannutri and Giglio - as would be Elba. But considering your time restraints, definitely Monte Argentario is closer and faster to get to and doable from Siena.

Monte Argentario tends to attract the "rich and famous" type of vacationer so if you want to stay on the promontory, I'd definitely also head to really nice places such as these two:
Baia d'Argento
Torre di Cala Piccola
Of course, you didn't say much about what you're looking for, there are definitely other options as well.... and you could stay off the promontory as well, drive to Porto Santo Stefano for example would not be long if you stayed in Talamone, for example.

As far as diving, Porto Santo Stefano would be the good place to head to - several dividing centers will offer gear rental as well as set excursions. This is just one as an example: http://www.argentarioscubapoint.it/

You can pick up a few more suggestions/links from an old thread here on our forum - both the Argentario and Piombino area are popular for dives: http://www.discovertuscany.com/forum...g-tuscany.html

Thank you for your reply and advice. We have decided to go to Monte Argentario for just one day. We plan to take the ferry over to Giglio, also. We have narrowed it down to a Friday or Saturday, mid month in June. Is traffic a consideration if we were to go on Saturday? What if we went early Saturday to beat the summer traffic? Or would it be best just to go on Friday?

Thank you for taking the time to answer questions. This site is a wonderful resource.

[Lourdes]

You're very welcome!

In June, we do see lots of people heading to the beach just on the weekend, many just for the day.... but the flow isn't that heavy yet (busiest is definitely July and August) and if you leave early on Saturday, not find too much traffic. But if you would prefer to be at the beach with less people overall, Friday would be better!!