Beautiful little Talamone was a thriving city and port during the Etruscan period, and site of a fierce battle in 225 BC when Roman troops fought back an alliance of Celtic tribes that had overun northern and central Italy and were marching on Rome. The Aldobrandeschi built the imposing fortifications that tower over the bay in the 13th century before ceding the coast to the Republic of Siena, and the Spanish took the region in 1559 and made it part of the State of the Presidi.

The famous rocky little beach in the foreground is the Bagno delle Donne. Until the 1950’s single men and women could not share the same beaches, but this “secret” little place, with the Women’s Baths separated only by the rocks from the men’s bath on the other side, still allowed eyes to meet… . It’s small so very busy in the summer, but the water is crystal clear, fabulous for snorkelling, and there are numerous little places to set up a towel and umbrella a bit further away along the rocky shore.