The library
Tuscan coast guides and resources
Everything we have written about the coast around Castiglioncello, the villages, the sea, Bolgheri, the house and the travel trade — in one place, with the facts kept honest.
These are not listicles. They are working guides to a real place: where the bays are, how the beach clubs work, when to come, how to move without a car, and what a private house by the sea can and cannot do. We publish only what we can verify, and we say plainly where Roc Villa Bay is — in Castiglioncello, in the province of Livorno, not in Forte dei Marmi, Viareggio or the Maremma.
Start with the coast if you are choosing a place. Start with the house if you are choosing a stay. Start with the trade page if you are an advisor or an agency.
Guide collection · 30 guides
The Coast
The shoreline, the villages and the honest geography between Versilia and the Maremma.
The Tuscan coast, from the inside
A working guide to the Tyrrhenian coast around Castiglioncello — the villages, the bays, the pine woods and the honest geography between Versilia and the Maremma.
What makes a Tuscan villa luxurious
Privacy, sea access, garden, light, and the questions a photograph cannot answer. A practical guide to choosing a villa on the Tuscan coast.
Castiglioncello, unhurried
A village of pine woods, small bays and late-nineteenth-century villas on the Livorno coast — and the place Roc Villa Bay calls home.
Santa Lucia, the beach below the house
A guide to the Spiaggia di Santa Lucia on the Livorno coast: the sand, the neighbouring bays, the shoreline and how to spend a day there.
A cove of your own
Below the garden, reached by stone steps, a rocky cove and clear water: the second of Roc Villa Bay's two private accesses to the sea.
Looking for a villa near Forte dei Marmi?
Forte dei Marmi is one of Tuscany's most polished resorts. Here is what it offers, and why some travellers choose Castiglioncello instead — further south on the same coast.
Looking for a villa near Viareggio?
Viareggio is a real city on the Tuscan coast, known for its Carnival and its Liberty seafront. Here is what it offers, and where Roc Villa Bay actually is.
Looking for a villa near Castiglione della Pescaia?
Castiglione della Pescaia belongs to the Maremma, with a medieval fortress and a famous nature reserve. Roc Villa Bay is on a different stretch of the same coast.
Looking for a villa near a Tuscan place?
Forte dei Marmi, Viareggio, Livorno, Pisa, Lucca, Bolgheri, Florence, Siena, Elba and more. Honest guides to what each place is like — and where Roc Villa Bay actually is.
Looking for a villa near Livorno?
Livorno is a working port city with a strong identity, a canal quarter and one of Tuscany's best seafood traditions. Here is what it offers, and where Roc Villa Bay actually is.
Looking for a villa near Pisa?
Pisa is the city of the Leaning Tower and the Piazza dei Miracoli, but also a university city on the Arno with a life beyond the postcard. Here is what it offers, and where Roc Villa Bay is.
Looking for a villa near Lucca?
Lucca is the Tuscan city of walls, towers and music, smaller and quieter than Florence and Siena. Here is what it offers, and where Roc Villa Bay actually is.
Looking for a villa near Bolgheri?
Bolgheri is a small village with a large reputation in wine. Here is what it is like, what the Bolgheri DOC means, and where Roc Villa Bay actually is.
Looking for a villa near Volterra?
Volterra is an Etruscan hill town of alabaster, a Roman theatre and steep streets. Here is what it offers, and where Roc Villa Bay actually is.
Looking for a villa near San Gimignano?
San Gimignano is the town of medieval towers and Vernaccia wine, a UNESCO hill town in the province of Siena. Here is what it offers, and where Roc Villa Bay is.
Looking for a villa near Florence?
Florence is the capital of Tuscany and the city of the Renaissance, inland on the Arno. Here is what it offers, and where Roc Villa Bay actually is.
Looking for a villa near Siena?
Siena is the city of the Piazza del Campo, the Palio and a medieval centre protected by UNESCO. Here is what it offers, and where Roc Villa Bay is.
Looking for a villa near Chianti?
Chianti is a wine landscape between Florence and Siena, not a single town. Here is what the area is like, and where Roc Villa Bay actually is.
Looking for a villa near Elba?
Elba is the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, reached by ferry from Piombino. Here is what it offers, and where Roc Villa Bay actually is.
Looking for a villa near Monte Argentario?
Monte Argentario is the promontory of Porto Santo Stefano and Porto Ercole, with Spanish fortresses and the Orbetello lagoon. Here is what it offers, and where Roc Villa Bay is.
Looking for a villa near Saturnia?
Saturnia is the thermal village of the southern Maremma, known for the Cascate del Mulino and its warm sulphur water. Here is what it offers, and where Roc Villa Bay is.
Seven days on the Tuscan coast
One base, three directions and two empty afternoons: a slow itinerary between Castiglioncello, Bolgheri, Baratti, Livorno and Pisa.
The beaches of the Tuscan coast
Versilia sand, the bays of the Etruscan Riviera, the Gulf of Baratti, the Maremma and the islands: how to choose a beach, not just admire one.
How a Tuscan beach club actually works
Concessions, umbrellas, rows and the free beach next door: a plain guide to the Italian bagno, without invented prices.
The Tuscan coast without a car
Castiglioncello has a station on the Tyrrhenian line, a village you can walk and two private paths to the sea. How a car-free stay works, and where it does not.
When to come to the Tuscan coast
Sea, light, crowds and the working year of a coastal village: a season-by-season guide, without invented temperatures.
Tuscan coast or Amalfi coast?
Two famous Italian coastlines, two different holidays: geography, beaches, access, pace and the kind of base each one suits.
Tuscan coast or Sardinia?
Sardinia has the island beaches; Tuscany has the beaches and the mainland. A practical comparison for families, groups and anyone choosing a week.
The beaches of Castiglioncello
Quercetano, Le Forbici, Santa Lucia, L'Arancio and Fortullino: a shore-by-shore guide to the small bays of the Etruscan Riviera.
Looking for a villa in Italy by the sea?
Italy has many coasts and many ways to be near the water. Here is how to read the phrase, what to check before booking, and where Roc Villa Bay actually is.
Guide collection · 10 guides
Experiences
Wine, food, boats, walks and the things that make a week on this coast more than a beach.
Things to do in Tuscany, from the coast
A working map of Tuscan experiences — the sea, wine, food, art cities, walking, thermal water and family days — and how to hold them together in one stay.
Things to do in Castiglioncello
The bays, the pine woods, the Castello Pasquini and the slow rhythm of a Tuscan village on the Etruscan Riviera.
Wine tasting in Tuscany
Chianti Classico, Brunello, Vino Nobile, Bolgheri and the Maremma: how the wine landscapes differ, and how to plan a tasting that is not a drive.
Tuscan food experiences
Ribollita, pici, bistecca, pecorino, olive oil and seafood: the pantry behind Tuscan cooking, and how to eat well without following a list.
The art cities of Tuscany
Florence, Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Arezzo, Cortona, San Gimignano, Volterra and the Val d'Orcia: what each place is like, and how to choose one or two.
Family holidays in Tuscany
Sea access, sandy beaches, shade, space in the house and a daily rhythm that works with children: what to look for in a Tuscan family holiday.
Tuscany by boat
The Etruscan Riviera, the Tuscan Archipelago, skippered days, kayaks and snorkelling: how to see Tuscany from the water.
Walking and cycling in Tuscany
The Via Francigena, the Chianti hills, the Maremma parks and the coastal paths: how to choose a walk or a ride in Tuscany.
Thermal spas in Tuscany
Saturnia, Bagno Vignoni, San Casciano dei Bagni, Montecatini and Chianciano: the difference between a free spring and a spa town.
Eating on the Tuscan coast
Cacciucco, triglie, olive oil, Bolgheri and the quiet rules of a Tuscan table — a food guide without a list of restaurants we cannot vouch for.
Guide collection · 17 guides
Bolgheri
The estates of Bolgheri and the wine road behind the coast.
Tenuta San Guido and Sassicaia
The estate behind Sassicaia, the wine that changed the reputation of the Tuscan coast, and how to approach a visit.
Ornellaia
The estate founded by Lodovico Antinori in 1981, its wines, and what a visit to Bolgheri can teach you.
Tenuta Guado al Tasso
The Antinori family’s Bolgheri estate, from Guado al Tasso to Il Bruciato and the Vermentino of the coast.
Tenuta Argentiera
A coastal estate at Donoratico, owned by the Fratini family, where the vineyards look towards the Tyrrhenian.
Tenuta di Biserno
Lodovico Antinori’s northern Bolgheri estate, from Biserno to Insoglio del Cinghiale.
Grattamacco
A hillside estate founded in 1977, part of ColleMassari, and one of the wines that made Bolgheri Superiore.
Le Macchiole
The Bolgheri estate known for single-variety wines: Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah as subjects, not components.
Michele Satta
A family estate among the builders of modern Bolgheri, known for Piastraia and a fresher idea of the coast.
Podere Sapaio
A younger Bolgheri estate founded in 1999, with Sapaio and Volpolo as its two clearest voices.
Poggio al Tesoro
The Allegrini family’s coastal estate, from Sondraia to the Vermentino Solosole.
Ca’ Marcanda
The Gaja family’s Bolgheri estate, from Promis to Camarcanda, and a Piedmontese reading of the coast.
Castello di Bolgheri
The estate that takes its name from the castle at the end of the Viale dei Cipressi, and the village at the heart of the DOC.
Campo alla Sughera
A late-1990s estate in the coastal part of the denomination, known above all for Arnione.
Tenuta Meraviglia
A small Bolgheri estate, one of the many producers who give the denomination its texture beyond the famous names.
Terre del Marchesato
A family estate in the heart of Bolgheri, known for Tarabuso and a generous, Mediterranean style.
Aia Vecchia
A family-run estate with a broad range, from Lagone to the Superiore Sor Ugo.
Bolgheri wineries: where the coast makes wine
The estates of Bolgheri, what they are known for, how visits work, and how to combine the vineyards with a private house by the sea.
Guide collection · 8 guides
The Villa
The house, the sea access, groups, families and the questions to ask before booking.
A villa in Castiglioncello, above the sea
A private seafront villa in Castiglioncello, Tuscany: four bedrooms, three private units, more than 4,000 m² of garden and two private accesses to the sea.
A seafront villa in Tuscany
What seafront really means, how the Tuscan coast changes from Versilia to the Maremma, and how Roc Villa Bay in Castiglioncello reaches the water.
A villa with private access to the sea
The difference between a private beach and a private path, and the two ways down to the water at Roc Villa Bay in Castiglioncello.
A pet-friendly villa on the Tuscan coast
A private house with a large garden, two accesses to the sea and a genuine welcome for dogs — with the rules that make it work.
A villa for families, with the sea below
Four bedrooms, three private units, a large garden and two ways down to the water: how Roc Villa Bay works for a family holiday.
A private bay on the Tuscan coast
What private access to the sea means at Roc Villa Bay, what it does not mean, and how the sandy bay and the rocky cove differ.
A villa for groups on the Tuscan coast
Eight guests in the Bay, six in the Beach House, fourteen together: how a group holiday works when the house is private and the sea is at the end of the garden.
A corporate retreat on the Tuscan coast
For small leadership groups that want a table, a garden and the sea — not a ballroom. What Roc Villa can and cannot do for a company retreat.
Guide collection · 1 guide
For the trade
Verified facts and a direct line for travel advisors, agencies and executive assistants.
For travel advisors and agencies
A fact sheet, verified numbers, direct answers and two houses that can be booked separately or together. How to work with Roc Villa on the Tuscan coast.
For the trade
Facts, without the brochure
Advisors, agencies and executive assistants can start with the verified numbers: capacities, layout, address, access and what the house does not do. The fact sheet is machine-readable; the advisors page explains how we work.
Stay at Roc Villa Bay
A private house
by the sea
Four bedrooms, three private units, more than 4,000 m² of Mediterranean garden and two private accesses to the sea in Castiglioncello.