VILLAGES AND TOWNS
Anyone who wants to visit the picturesque villages that make Tuscany a spot unique in Italy will find many of them within a few kilometres of the HOTEL BAIA DEL SORRISO.

Bolgheri: This ancient village in the hills between San Vincenzo and Cecina, an outlying district of Castagneto Carducci, took on a new lease of life in the 18th century and soon turned into one of the area’s farming and winegrowing centres. The famous Avenue of Cypresses was laid out in 1831, after the Via Aurelia had been straightened, and was immortalised by Carducci in his ode entitled “In Front of San Guido”:

“The tall straight cypresses in double row Troop from San Guido down to Bolgheri; Like giant striplings at a race they go Bounding to meet and gaze once more on me.”

Campiglia Marittima: There are records of this hilltop town’s existence dating back to the 11th century. The 12th-century fortress, the Pieve (parish church) di San Giovanni with the famous base-relief of Meleager and the structure of the town itself, where, despite subsequent stratifications, the remains of the mediaeval towers are still to be seen, are undoubtedly well worth a visit.

Suvereto: A picturesque mediaeval walled hilltop town a few miles from the archaeological site of Populonia.

Massa Marittima: The town, which, despite its name, is over 20 kilometres inland from the sea, is regarded as one of Tuscany’s mediaeval gems. The town reached the height of its splendour in the 13th century, when its wealth of mineral resources won it free municipality status and the right to strike its own coins. Its finest monuments, such as the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral, the Pretorian Palace, the Town Hall, the public fountain and the city walls all date from that period.

“CLASSICAL” TUSCANY
No visitor to Tuscany should miss visiting world-famous cities such as Pisa, Lucca, Florence, Siena, Arezzo, Pistoia and others.
They are all within a few hours’ drive of Castiglioncello, making the BAIA DEL SORRISO the ideal touring base for anyone seeking a holiday full of cultural interest exploring the treasures of this wonderful region.

PARKS AND COUNTRYSIDE
The Cornia Valley’s system of mining archaeology parks and nature reserves begins just a few miles south of Castiglioncello, offering trekking, archaeology and nature trails through the Mediterranean vegetation and guided tours of major Etruscan archaeological sites and museums.

WINE AND GASTRONOMY TRAILS
Tuscany is home to flavoursome natural foods and great wines, and the Etruscan Coast, of which Castiglioncello is undoubtedly the most famous town, is no exception. The Etruscan Coast Wine Trail runs through it, enabling wine tourists to follow a route that winds through mediaeval towns and wooded hills as they explore an area where world-famous wines of the calibre of Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Le Macchiole and Montescudaio’s DOC wines were born.

SPORT
The HOTEL BAIA DEL SORRISO neighbourhood has facilities for sports such as horse riding, sailing, windsurfing, golf, skin-diving and cycle tours.

CALAFURIA
The stretch of coastline to the north of Castiglioncello presents a few miles of rugged coast lashed by the elements.
There are few beaches, but the rocks are often accessible; there are also salt-water “pools” that the waves fill with seawater.
The “Cala del Leone” (lion’s cove) beneath the headland topped by Castel Sonnino is picturesque, although the climb down to it is not for the fainthearted.

ROSIGNANO SOLVAY AND ITS WHITE BEACHES
A chunk of the Caribbean washed up between Rosignano and Vada is what the White Beaches with their crystal-clear water look like, calling to mind a Polynesian atoll as well.
The whiteness of the sand derives from industrial waste pumped into the sea, but the area’s flourishing marine flora and fauna prove that no harm is done to the environment.
Visitors have capacious car parks and bathing establishments as well as spacious public beaches at their disposal.

VADA
The town dates back to the 18th century and was known in the olden days as the “Saracen’s Roadstead.” The tip of the White Beaches lies to the north, while the south of the built-up area gives way to the pine forest that stretches almost without a break as far as Bibbona. A skin-divers’ paradise lies just off Vada: “the Vada shallows,” an enormous area of shallow water abounding in sea creatures and featuring coral and sea fans.

CECINA
The pine forest forms a barrier between road and sea to the north. A good access point is to be found at “Le Gorette,” where a broad beach of fine, safe gravel is reached by walking through the pinewoods. The beach in the town of Cecina Mare is a stretch of sand about 20 yards wide, well provided with a number of tourist facilities, including a water park.
The pine forest continues south of Cecina with a beach that is entirely public but, sadly, suffers greatly from erosion