Every year, on 15 August, Porto Santo Stefano revives one of the events most emblematic of its seafaring identity: the Palio Marinaro dell’Argentario regatta.
The town's four districts compete
This historic Tuscan regatta, which brings the stretch of water in front of the town to life, sees the town’s four districts, Croce, Fortezza, Pilarella and Valle, compete against one another in a contest that combines sport, history and tradition. The earliest documented evidence of rowing races dates back to the 18th century, but the event’s origins are deeply rooted in the local seafaring culture and are linked to a legend recounting the escape of a "tartarone" which is the typical Porto Santo Stefano fishing boat that was pursued by pirates who once plied the Tyrrhenian coast.
ph credits Livia Gerecitano
A week of celebrations
The rowing regatta takes place over a total distance of 4,000 metres. Each crew consists of four rowers and a coxswain, who must complete ten laps of the 400-metre stretch between two buoys), making five turns out to sea and four towards the shore. The boats used are traditional and are known as "guzzi" with each named after a wind: Maestrale, Grecale, Libeccio and Scirocco. The Palio is the highlight of a programme of events involving the whole town. The celebrations begin as early as the previous week with neighbourhood dinners and the historical procession. On 13 August, the oars are measured and the boats are handed, over while on the eve of the event the crews and the procession are blessed.
An island that is not an island
The Argentario can be described as "an island that is not an island." The diamond shaped mountain rises from the waters of the Mediterranean Sea while remaining connected to the coast by two narrow strips of sand, which enclose a lagoon. The area has two main towns: Porto Santo Stefano to the north and Porto Ercole to the south. As part of the Tuscan Maremma, the Argentario also boasts Orbetello, Talamone, Capalbio and Magliano among its main towns, along with the two islands of Giglio and Giannutri. The area is in a strategic location: in the centre of Italy and close to Rome, Florence and Pisa.
