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Mar 10, 2023 · Porto Ercole, along with Porto Santo Stefano, offers a quintessential seaport town experience on the promontory of Monte Argentario in the Province of Grosseto. The town, famous for its Spanish fortresses and its characteristic port, offers visitors a thrilling mix of history, beaches, resorts, boating, diving, and other water ...
- Alessio Pellegrini
It consisted of remnants of the former Republic of Siena—the five towns of Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano on the promontory of Monte Argentario, as well as Orbetello, Talamone and Ansedonia—and their hinterland, along with the islet of Giannutri and the fortress of Porto Longone on the island of Elba.
Porto Ercole ( Italian: [ˈpɔrto ˈɛrkole]) 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 ".
Ceded to Spain after they helped the Florentines defeat Siena, it became part of a presidio (garrison state) ruled by the Spanish army and navy. Porto Ercole, Porto Santo Stefano and Orbetello were all fortified by the early 1700s. Almost 20 forts and lookout towers are dotted across the promontory.
Visit Porto Ercole. The popular Tuscan coastal resort of Porto Ercole is on the eastern side of the Monte Argentario peninsula to the south of the Tuscany region. It is dominated by the fortress on a hill above the town and is in the shadow of Monte Argentario itself.
In June, the Spanish gained a naval victory over the French off Porto Ercole. In September of the same year, after conquering Piombino, the French managed to capture Porto Longone. The Spanish garrison, which consisted of merely 80 men, held out for two weeks.
In 1559, with the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis, Porto Ercole passed to Spain as the State of the Presidi. In 1815 with the Congress of Vienna the territories became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany until the unification to the Kingdom of Italy in 1860.
