Tuscany - Living La Dolce Vita

The mention of Tuscany conjures images of rolling landscapes dotted with rustic villas, beautiful vineyards and historic towns. Regarded as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, tourists arrive in droves to soak up the atmosphere and culture. But it’s also a wonderful place to come and play a round of golf…

Far from the bright lights of Florence, in southern Tuscany, lies the Maremma, one of the very few territories left in Italy that is still quite untouched by tourism. With its rugged, unspoilt coastline, it is a perfect place for those in search of stylish hotels and peaceful beaches. And this is where you can find the stunning Argentario Golf & Spa Resort. The 5-star luxury hotel, which is surrounded by cork oak woods and centuries-old olive trees, offers beautiful views of the golf course and the crystal clear water of the Orbetello Lagoon.

HOTEL. Built with an eco-conscious philosophy, the hotel is shaped like a dragonfly and features a limestone façade and large windows, while inside the interior designer, Andrea Fogli, has created a contemporary style with extravagant touches.     There are 73 rooms and one cottage, which have all been individually decorated to a high standard. The design is sophisticated and comfortable, with some rooms given a contemporary, minimalist look while others are glamorous and metropolitan.

SPA. The luxurious 2,700 m² Espace Wellness Centre will pamper you from head to toe and includes a fitness centre, bio-sauna, indoor swimming pool, massage cabins, tanning showers, and much, much more.     There is also a MediSPA with a team of professionals who specialize in nutrition and naturopathy, using the Wellbeing Method created by the famous Italian nutritionist and biologist, Luca Naitana.

DINING. At the Dama Dama Restaurant, executive chef, Mario Cimino, creates classic Mediterranean dishes, utilizing products from carefully selected local farms as well as from the resort’s own vegetable garden and orchard. For those following the Wellbeing Method, he rustles up delicious and healthy platters filled with fruit and vegetables, white meat and fresh fish.

GOLF. The Argentario Golf Club, which hosts many important golf tournaments, is located in a protected natural area, with the lagoon and hillside offering a beautiful panorama as well as creating a microclimate that allows golf to be played all year round.             The 18-hole golf course was designed by architect David Mezzacane and professional golfer Baldovino Dassù. It offers variety and plenty of technical challenges, with a refreshing breeze coming in to play on many of the holes, so a combination of accuracy and power is needed to master this course.

TERME DI SATURNIA SPA & GOLF RESORT. A bit further inland, you can find the award-winning Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort, which is centred around an ancient travertine stone building.             The elegant hotel sits on the site of a rich thermal spring, where generations of bathers have enjoyed the health-giving properties of the waters which gush from their source at a constant temperature of 37°C. The warm spring feeds four pools, a Jacuzzi, waterfalls and waterways and is harnessed in luxurious, regenerative therapies at Terme di Saturnia’s recently refurbished spa.

ACCOMMODATION. All of the hotel’s 128 rooms are spacious, light and airy, and designed to create a sense of harmony and wellbeing. With muted, warm colours, quality furnishings and atmospheric lighting, they are the perfect place in which to relax after a long day on the golf course.

SPA. The award-winning spa, one of the largest in the world, aims to improve guests’ wellbeing through focusing on hydrotherapy, fitness, beauty, stress management and nutrition. All the treatments incorporate the resort’s own skin care range, based on the plankton and minerals that are harvested from Saturnia’s thermal springs.

DINING. The Italian passion for food is reflected in the resort’s restaurants, with fine dining at Ristorante Aqualuce which embraces the proud gastronomic tradition of the region, bursting with strong, authentic flavours.     At the Michelin-starred Ristorante All’Acquacotta, the chef serves masterful dishes that are a wholehearted testament to the importance of incorporating the enjoyment of food into the journey to complete wellbeing.

GOLF. The resort’s 18-hole championship golf course, which has been GEO Certified, is designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding countryside. It consists of gentle slopes and undulating fairways, with streams and bunkers offering plenty of challenges as well as providing a striking scenic backdrop. And if you are one of those golfers who like to get out on the course early, you might be lucky enough to see deer, porcupines and wild boars.     So, when you’re planning your next golf holiday, why not head to Maremma; this Tuscan gem won’t be a secret for ever…