is a ''
Comune '' (municipality) and a peninsula belonging to the
Province Of Grosseto in the
Italian region
Tuscany , located about 150 km south of
Florence and about 35 km south of
Grosseto . The peninsula is connected with the mainland by three dams which form two lagoons, the ''Laguna di Ponente'' on the west side and the ''Laguna di Levante'' on the east side of the middle dam.
The two main villages on Monte Argentario are Porto Santo Stefano, facing north, and Porto Ercole facing south.
The panoramic road ''Strada panoramica'' starts in Porto Santo Stefano allowing splendid views of the coast and the
Tuscan Archipelago .
Monte Argentario borders the ''comune'' of
Orbetello , which is located on the middle dam between the two lagoons.
Monte Argentario is a promontory stretching towards the
Tyrrhenian Sea in correspondence of the two southernmost islands of the
Tuscan Archipelago ,
Giglio and
Giannutri . The promontory was also an island in past times,, but the sea currents and the
Albegna river joined it with the mainland through two so-called ''tomboli'' (stretches of land), The Tombolo of Giannella and the Tombolo of the Feniglia.
The highest peak of Monte Argentario is the Punta Telegrafo (635 m). The landscape and the coast are mainly rocky; numerous harbors, usually with rock beaches, are present. The municipal seat is in the northern settlement, Porto Santo Stefano.
The promontory, probably already inhabited by the
Etruscans , was a personal property of the
Domitii Aenobarbi family, who obtained it in return for the money they lent to the
Roman Republic in the
Punic Wars . The current name stems probably from this origin, since ''Arganterii'' was the name of money lenders in ancient Rome.
Later an imperial possession, it was ceded to the church by
Constantine The Great in the 4th century AD.In the Middle Ages, due to the reduced traffic passing on the nearby
Via Aurelia , the area was sparsely settled. Following the history of Orbetello, the promontory was a possession of the
Aldobrandeschi ,
Orsini , King
Ladislas Of Naples and
Siena , until
Spain acquired it in the late 16th century. The Spaniards heavily fortified the two ports, as the main stronghold of the
State Of Presidi . After
Napoleon 's defeat, in 1815 the Argentario was handed over to the
Grand Duchy Of Tuscany , to which it remained until 1860, when it became part of the newly united
Kingdom Of Italy .
During
World War II , the settlements of Argentario were heavily bombed, with numerous losses. The port of Santo Stefano was destroyed, and was rebuilt only in the 1950s. The railway that connected Orbetello to the mainland was never rebuilt.
- ''Fortezza Spagnola'' (Spanish Fortress), in Porto Santo Stefano
- ''Forte Filippo ''and ''Forte Stella'', in Porto Ercole
- The church of St. Erasmus, in the historical centre of Porto Ercole, not far from the ''Porta Pisana''
- The ''Via panoramica'' (Panoramic Road), running alongside the coast.
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