Talamone, Tuscany, Italy
To read more see A Weekend in Siena, Brunello Tasting in Montalcino and A Trip to Viareggio
A weekend in Siena in Italy was on the cards for Dan and I, as we’d been invited to the wedding of a friend. Deciding to extend the trip for a few days we wanted to spend some time on the coast on either side of our stay in Siena. Having googled many coastal towns in Tuscany we settled on staying in Talamone to start with, an old fort town on a peninsula that looked tiny, beautiful, and not your typical tourist trap.
We arrived very late on the Thursday night (4am – thanks Ryanair for the delay!) so we checked into our hotel, the Baia di Talamone and went straight to bed. The next morning we got up early (I’m never able to sleep in when I’m on holiday) and, well it wasn’t exactly blue skies! Big threatening rain clouds hung in the sky but we decided to risk it and go and explore after a coffee at the hotel.
Staying in the port, we headed up to the old town to have a look at the fort and the views out to sea which were stunning, but suddenly the heavens opened so we ran to the nearest restaurant to grab some lunch and wait out the rain.
The restaurant, Locanda dei Mille, was in the main square and looked busy and full of locals, so although we didn’t have much choice due to the rain, it seemed like a safe bet. We ordered a carafe of the house white and Dan went for pasta while I chose the sea bass done three ways.
The wine left a little to be desired but when we got the bill, it was only 4 euros for the whole carafe so I guess we shouldn’t have expected much. The sea bass was lovely, cooked perfectly and served on three different vegetables, courgettes, carrots and potatoes (which I pushed onto Dan’s plate). We waited out the rain and were rewarded with sunshine and a beautiful view from the main square just outside the restaurant.
As the rain had eased up we decided to move on and spotted a beautiful little restaurant called La Buca. It was old and looked very traditional so we put our names down for dinner there later that evening.
We decided to see some more of the town so we set off exploring…or at least we tried to. We got as far as the beach before another torrential downpour so we abandoned that idea and ran to the nearest bar. What better way to wait out the rain than with a glass of Chianti and some Tuscan olives!
Deciding that exploring wasn’t really going to be on the cards we headed back to the hotel for a little afternoon siesta, having not got much sleep last night due to our late arrival. We awoke just in time for Aperitivo (a tradition in Italy where you get some – fairly substantial – nibbles with an aperitif) so we headed to the wine bar in the town centre. We ordered a glass of Brunello each and were given some ham, cheese and salami to eat with it.
Soon, it was time for dinner at La Buca, the restaurant we’d booked earlier. We were shown to our table inside, and the restaurant was as cute as we’d imagined. Stone walls and vaulted ceilings, it was definitely a very old building with a lot of character. I chose the pan-fried sea bream and Dan went for the sea bass with roasted potatoes and we shared some grilled courgette on the side. All washed down with a bottle of Chianti it was a lovely dinner, just what we were after and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
We headed to a bar on the way home for a nightcap and met up with some friendly locals who extolled the virtues of Talamone to us and promised us the weather would be better tomorrow and we’d get to see it in its full glory.
They were right and the next morning we awoke to beautiful blue skies (that was more like it). We checked out and got a coffee in the sunshine and afterwards decided to head back to the old town for a look around in the glorious weather!
It’s amazing what difference a day can make! Much better weather to take travel pics this morning! Everything always looks so much better in the sunshine! The town was beautiful now that it was painted in its best light, with tiny cobbled streets and old stone walls, there were really only one or two main streets – it was a tiny place.
Finally, Dan wanted a quick dip in the sea before we drove to Siena so we headed down to the beach to spend an hour there. There was a cafe so I sat there and read my book while Dan went in for a quick swim.
Someone is obviously excited at the prospect of a swim!
Gorgeous crystal clear, blue waters!
We hopped in the car for the hour-and-a-half drive to Siena, the next leg of our journey, for the wedding that afternoon…
To read more see A Weekend in Siena, Brunello Tasting in Montalcino and A Trip to Viareggio
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Looks gorgeous.
What a gorgeous looking trip!! Love the idea of Aperitivo, wish they would adopt that here in the states!! Thanks for linking up with #TravelTuesday! Hope to see you again next month!
Thanks Melanie, it was fab – and I agree, everyone should adopt Apertivo!!!!
I’ve always wanted to experience Italy. What a beautiful trip and scenery! The food, the history is just remarkable to me. So so pretty!
Your photos are so lovely and the ocean looks so nice!! This post makes me want to go to Italy even more! Thanks for sharing your experience!
That water looks amazing! So glad the rain cleared up eventually for you. Always a risk when travelling that the weather gods will hate us.
My sister used to live in Naples, Italy. She loved the Italian cuisine and was a complete foodie. I always wanted to go and visit her in Italy but never quite got round to it. Nice post. Thanks for sharing and bringing a few memories back of my sister.
Such a beautiful place. I had not heard of it before. I am headed to Italy soon, I will see if it will be possible for me to visit here
Somehow I never explored much of Tuscany, even after going to visit my sister while she was living in Florence. Each of the cities has so much to see, you really have to live there to be able to do it all! Love your photos!
We’ll be going to Florence this spring and the most we can do is a day trip from Florence to Chianti… better than nothing i suppose? Too bad that we can’t have more nights in Tuscany, because Talamone sounds awesome!
I love that you were lucky enough to be invited to a wedding in Italy. Everything in Talamone looks perfect. The food, scenery and that crystal blue water!
Having been to Italy many times, I’ve never heard of Talamone. However it looks like a very quaint and cosy place (like many of Italy’s cities do). I absolutely love Italian food and it’s one of the highlights with traveling to Italy, you’re surrounded by amazing food! So many veggies (like grilled courgette) and funky olives, cheeses etc. Looks like you had a lovely time!
We really did – it’s so lovely to find a tiny town away from all the tourists – we practically had the place to ourselves!
Siena looks amazing. I would love to be able to walk those paths and tight alleyways. But don’t even get me started on that gorgeous coastal view?
I am glad the weather got better for you! seems like you had an amazing time! I would love to visit Tuscany so bad, hopefully soon 🙂
Oh, this is making me want to travel to Italy so badly again. I’m lucky that my brother now lives there and so I plan on visiting him very soon. Lovely photos.
Gorgeous images. Perfect destination for summer. The beaches and water looked serene and clear. The local food is worth trying.
Such a beautiful trip. I am also heading here soon. Will remember tips from your trip 🙂 Tuscany is so very beautiful
fantastic post on Tuscany, loved the photos.
No wonder why people dream about visiting Italy, gorgeous pictures and great tips for those willing to have an experience as nice as yours.
That water is so clear! Wow! I’ve never heard of Talamone before and you’ve peaked my interest
I hadn’t heard of Talamone, it looks very picturesque. How far is it from Siena? Was the sea warm for swimming at that time of year?
It’s about an hour’s drive from Siena – we went in late September. My boyfriend went swimming but it was too cold for me! In the summer I’m sure it’s great though!
I have never heard of Talamone, Tuscany but it looks beautiful! How wonderful it is to be blessed with great weather after a day of rain!
This looks absolutely beautiful! The crystal clear waters, and coffee sounds so amazing right now. I didn’t make it to Tuscany while I was in Italy, but your pictures are making me want to go!
The water looks clearer than I expected. I think we all have that story where weather ruined some of the limited time we have in a certain destination. One place that never happened was London.
You must be the only person to talk about good weather in London! lol especially today – storm Doris is on the loose!
Lol, my point was that it never ruined a whole day in London for me. Also, I like how it’s never too hot there.
At least the weather cleared up for you. It seems like a nice little town and I am sure you were successful avoiding tourist traps. What is you favourite town in Italy?
Loved Talamone but also love the whole of Puglia in the south!
I also got to go to a wedding in Italy but in Bolzano instead! How magical I bet your friends was too! I wish we got to explore the less traveled places like this instead of Rome or Venice when I was there! So over saturated with tourists. Would love to explore more like this!!
I’ve never heard of Talamone before but it looks like a darling little coastal town. Glad you had such great weather to enjoy your visit!
Your day of bad weather still sounds pretty good with your stops for wine and food and an afternoon nap. Sometimes you need a down day where you don’t do much so you can be ready for those sunny days. This looks like a neat small town! Making a mental note.
Talamone is indeed a revelation. Another invaluable gem in the Tuscany region. I am always amazed at the fact that I keep coming across so many unknown and unsung towns in Tuscany that are really out of the pages of a fairy tale. It is a pity that you initially had to face bad weather, but happy to see that the weather cleared to reveal the spectacular beauty of Talamone.
When sunny, Talamone looked deliciously beautiful! And that food looks tempting too 🙂 Lovely pics as always…
Though we have been to the most part of Italy Tuscany countryside is yet to explored. Talamone looks like a pretty town, those charming narrow alleys reminds us of Malta. Great that the second day was bright and sunny and could explore the place around.
What a lovely little town. It seems like it has all the small-town charm you’d expect from a place in Tuscany. The food looks delicious, as does the water. A great place for a getaway!
I have never heard about Talamone but for sure it looks a small clean town. After rain, town might have looked more beautified. I need to bookmark this too, to my bucket list.
Never heard about Talamone but looks a pretty place. The food looks delicious and love the view of the port. We are planning to go on 10 day trip to Italy this summer, would love to add this place to our itinerary
Glad you liked our country, Tuscany is surely a Top destination of Italy, and it totally deserves a full visit. Actually I went a couple of times to Tuscany, but never on the seaside, so I’m going to include Talamone for my next visit 😉 thanks
Italy is such a beautiful place. The waters are the most clean ones in Europe IMO. Did you enjoy the food over there? We love italian bread eventhough its not actually made from Italy. 😉
I looove Italian food – all the delicious Mediterranean flavours!
What a charming and beautiful place! I’d be excited for a swim, too!
It is so charming and beautiful! I’d be excited for a swim, too!
Wow Tuscany looks beautiful, I will be adding this to my list of places to travel, I like how it is not your typical tourist place to travel!
~xo Sheree
I love finding places that other people don’t know about!
We’re heading to Italy on Wednesday. Staying outside Asciano which is close to Siena. We had two days at the end of the trip and settled on Talamone as we aren’t fans of huge tourist areas. Staying at the Capo D’loumo, the cool round hotel on the cliff above the beach in a Jr suite for two nights. Your pictures lead me to believe we made the right choice.
Thanks so much for your kind words Doug.
Talamone is truly a hidden gem – I hope you had a wonderful stay there! I’m sure you did!
I have booked a trip to tuscany in 15 days… this makes me really want to go, but everything is so hectic due to coronavirus :((
I know it’s a bit crazy at the moment – im off skiing soon and hope it wont be cancelled but I think we just have to stick to our plans and see what happens…
Talamone is fabulous though – tuscany is so beautiful in general – I hope you have a fabulous time! You can check out my other posts on the area for more inspiration if you like?
https://emmaeatsandexplores.com/viareggio-tuscany-italy/
https://emmaeatsandexplores.com/a-weekend-in-siena-tuscany-italy/
https://emmaeatsandexplores.com/brunello/