Orbetello

The city of Orbetello rises in the middle of the lagoon of the same name and is joined to Monte Argentario by a road built on an artificial embankment, which has divided the lagoon into Laguna di Levante and Laguna di Ponente.

The territory is very varied; the lagoon wetland is bordered towards the sea by two tomboli, the Tombolo della Feniglia and the Tombolo della Giannella, characterized by long sandy beaches, pine forests and Mediterranean scrub.

The coast near the reliefs of Talamone and Ansedonia becomes rocky and difficult to access.

The hinterland is characterized by reliefs, where the vegetation grows spontaneously, forming intricate patches, and intensely cultivated flat areas.

The territory of Orbetello has been frequented since Etruscan period, when it had to fulfill a function of seaport along the routes that connected the northern Etruscan cities with the more southern ones, such as Vulci and Tarquinia, and assumed particular importance also during the domination of Rome, which founded the colony of Cosa, near of Ansedonia.

Among the places of interest of the place there is the Spanish Mill, built in the lagoon during the fifteenth century. In the past it used the power of water to grind grain; the Walls of Orbetello are of Etruscan origin, but were enlarged and restored first in the Middle Ages and then at the end of the 16th century.

The Orbetello Lagoon Oasis, created and managed by the WWF as a “wetland of international interest”, is one of the most important Italian wintering areas for many bird species. The Orbetello lagoon is a stretch of sea between two coastal strips that connect the Argentario promontory to the mainland.

The Forte delle Saline, located in the hamlet of Albinia, is a fortified structure built by the Sienese in the 15th century and modified and strengthened by the Spaniards in 1630. The fort was used to control the adjacent salt pans, an important local resource, but also the Albegna river port and the passage over the Giannella tombolo. Today it is used as an archive of the Superintendence.