Porto Santo Stefano () is a seaport town on the west coast of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Monte Argentario Monte Argentario is a ''comune'' (municipality) and a peninsula belonging to the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about south of Grosseto. The peninsula is connected with the mainland by thre ...

, in the

Province of Grosseto The province of Grosseto ( it, links=no, provincia di Grosseto) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Grosseto. As of 2013 the province had a total population of 225,098 people. Geography The Province of Gros ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

. It is the municipal seat of Monte Argentario and one of the two major towns that form the township, along with

Porto Ercole Porto Ercole () is an Italian town located in the municipality of Monte Argentario, in the Province of Grosseto, Tuscany. It is one of the two major towns that form the township, along with Porto Santo Stefano. Its name means "Port Hercules". Ge ...

. The region is on the slopes of Mount Argentario, which dominates the whole area. Porto Santo Stefano is 150 kilometres (95 miles) northwest of Rome.

Geography

Position

The resort is located on the northwestern

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the so ...

of Monte Argentario, a little more than southeast of

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the Ombrone river. It is the m ...

, about southwest of

Orbetello Orbetello is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Grosseto (Tuscany), Italy. It is located about south of Grosseto, on the eponymous lagoon, which is home to an important Natural Reserve. History Orbetello was an ancient Etruscan settlemen ...

and about from Porto Ercole.

Subdivisions

The town is divided into four historical districts, each with its own

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

(''

gonfalone The gonfalon, gonfanon, gonfalone (from the early Italian ''confalone'') is a type of heraldic flag or banner, often pointed, swallow-tailed, or with several streamers, and suspended from a crossbar in an identical manner to the ancient Roman v ...

'') banner: *Croce (''Cross''), whose nobles are called ''crociaioli'', its coat of arms depicts a gray

seagull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...

on a red background, above the red cross of

Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...

on a white background. *Fortezza (''Fortress''), whose nobles are called ''fortezzaioli''; its coat of arms depicts a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

in gold on a red background on the left side, and a golden horse to the right on an

amaranth ''Amaranthus'' is a cosmopolitan genus of annual or short-lived perennial plants collectively known as amaranths. Some amaranth species are cultivated as leaf vegetables, pseudocereals, and ornamental plants. Catkin-like cymes of densely pack ...

background. *Pilarella, whose nobles are called ''pilarellai''; its coat of arms depicts a golden

vase A vase ( or ) is an open container. It can be made from a number of materials, such as ceramics, glass, non-rusting metals, such as aluminium, brass, bronze, or stainless steel. Even wood has been used to make vases, either by using tree species ...

in a red background on the left, and a light gray

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

to the right on a blue background. *Valle (''Valley''), whose nobles are called ''vallaioli''; its coat of arms depicts an

axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...

and the

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

History

Because of the increased exposure to

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

raids, the center had low priority during the rule of

Aldobrandeschi The Aldobrandeschi were an Italian noble family from southern Tuscany. Overview Of probable Lombard origin, they appear in history as counts in the 9th century. The first known count was Hildebrand II (857). Their possession extended to what i ...

and of the

Republic of Siena The Republic of Siena ( it, Repubblica di Siena, la, Respublica Senensis) was a historic state consisting of the city of Siena and its surrounding territory in Tuscany, central Italy. It existed for over 400 years, from 1125 to 1555. During its e ...

, but with its entry into the State of Presidi in the mid-16th century, the town became a center of great importance in Argentario. It was during this the construction of the Spanish Fort began, a powerful defensive structure that now hosts a permanent exhibition "Submerged Memories". Like all other centers in the area, Porto Santo Stefano joined the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...

in the first half of the 19th century. Besides the fortress, the territory still plays host to two Spanish lookout towers; Lividonia and dell'Argentiera, the latter situated on the slopes of Mount Argentario which dominates the whole Santo Stefano area.

Annual events

Notable events in the town include the ''Palio Marinaro'', an annual

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

a boat is called a ''"gozzo"'' (plural ''"gozzi"'')which is held every August between the four districts. The prize was started in 1937, but discontinued from 1940 to 1944 because of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The list of victories are: 23 victories for the Pilarella district, 19 for the Cross district, 16 for the Valley and 13 for the Fortress district.

Transport and infrastructure

Porto Santo Stefano was once connected by rail to Orbetello via a small rail line, closed in 1944. The town has two port harbors: Porto Vecchio and Porto del Valle. Porto Santo Stefano has regular

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

service to the

Isola del Giglio Isola del Giglio (; en, Giglio Island, lat, Igilium) is an Italian island and comune in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Tuscany, and is part of the Province of Grosseto. The island is one of seven that form the Tuscan Archipelago, lying w ...

(Giglio Island). After the capsizing of the cruise ship ''

Costa Concordia ''Costa Concordia'' () was a cruise ship operated by Costa Crociere. She was the first of her class, followed by sister ships ''Costa Serena'', ''Costa Pacifica'', ''Costa Favolosa'' and ''Costa Fascinosa'', and ''Carnival Splendor'' built for ...

'' on 13 January 2012, many of the ship's passengers and crew were evacuated to the mainland on these ferries.Protezione Civile
/ref>

Personalities

Susanna Agnelli Susanna Agnelli, Contessa Rattazzi, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (24 April 1922 – 15 May 2009) was an Italian politician, businesswoman and writer. She was the first woman to be appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in Italy. Early life Born ...

(1922–2009), politician, former mayor of Monte Argentario. *

Benedetta Barzini Benedetta Barzini (born 22 September 1943 in Porto Santo Stefano)BENEDETTA BARZINI
VOGUE ...

(born 1943), actress and model. *

Giorgetto Giugiaro Giorgetto Giugiaro (; born 7 August 1938) is an Italian automotive designer. He has worked on supercars and popular everyday vehicles. He was born in Garessio, Cuneo, Piedmont. Giugiaro was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 and inducted ...

(born 1938), designer. *

Jessica Brando Jessica Brando (born Jessica Vitelli 6 December 1994) is an Italian singer. Biography Born in Grosseto, Tuscany, Jessica started singing at the age of five, studying for her own fun on great singers from the past like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzg ...

(born 1994), singer. *

Luca Coscioni Luca Coscioni (16 July 1967 – 20 February 2006) was an Italian economist and politician. He was a professor of Environmental Economics at Università della Tuscia (Italy) who engaged very actively in the social and political spheres with t ...

(1967–2006), economist and politician. * Angelo Cardinal Comastri (born 1943), Bishop of Massa Marittima-Piombino, later named cardinal. *

Frank Herbert Mason Frank Herbert Mason (February 20, 1921 – June 16, 2009) was an American painter and teacher. Early life Frank Herbert Mason was born on February 20, 1921, in Cleveland, Ohio.Mary ThomasFirst exhibit at Point Park gallery impressive ''Pittsb ...

(1921–2009), American painter * Pino Luongo (born 1953), New York restaurateur; cookbook writer and memoirist. *

Jorge Chaminé Jorge Chaminé (born 30 April 1956) is a Portuguese operatic baritone. Biography Of Spanish and Portuguese parentage, Chaminé was born in Porto. He began his musical studies (piano, voice, cello, guitar, choral and orchestra conducting) at a ...

(born 1956), baritone. *

Olin Stephens Olin James Stephens II (April 13, 1908 – September 13, 2008) was an American yacht designer. Stephens was born in New York City, but spent his summers with his brother Rod, learning to sail on the New England coast. He also attended the Massa ...

(1908–2008), American yacht designer. * Giorgio Ceragioli (1861–1947), sculptor. *

Raffaella Carrà Raffaella Maria Roberta Pelloni (18 June 1943 – 5 July 2021), better known as Raffaella Carrà (), was an Italian singer, dancer, television presenter, actress and model. She was well known in Europe and Latin America as a result of her many ...

(1943–2021), singer, dancer, television presenter, and actress.

References

; Sources * * *

External links

*
Monte Argentario official website
{{authority control Coastal towns in Tuscany Frazioni of Monte Argentario Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy Year of establishment missing