Hidden Gems in Tuscany - Campiglia Marittima, Populonia & Baratti 🇮🇹

Good morning, everyone. And welcome back to Beagle Pisano. Now, if you tuned in last week, you may recognise this wall behind me with the flowers. This is where I had my birthday celebration, and that's where we ended our last video. Now, we wanted to continue the story because straight after my birthday party, the next day, Lorenzo and I went away for a couple of days. Now, we love exploring around Tuscany, especially if we can be somewhere close to the sea, so we didn't go far away. It was only about one hour to a tiny little hilltop town, literally nestled between the hills and the sea. So we thought we would take you on this journey with us so you can get a glimpse at another part of Tuscany, a lesser known part of Tuscany, but a place that we think you might be interested in. And if you come here one day, you might like to visit as well. We're lucky to live in a part of Tuscany where the sea, the hills and centuries of history are all within easy reach. Just an hour south of us, on what is known as the Etruscan coast, lies a small medieval town located between the hills and the sea, and it's called Campiglia Marittima. We love discovering places that aren't necessarily on the classic tourist trail. Quiet corners of Tuscany where life moves a little slower and without the tourist trappings. Campiglia Marittima felt instantly familiar to us. Maybe it's the medieval streets, the stone walls or the sense of being somewhere time forgot. Or maybe it's that we could still walk everywhere from our front door, whether it be for dinner or for that all-important morning coffee. We stayed in a local bed and breakfast just beyond one of Campiglia Marittima's historic gates, and I will leave details in the description below. Because we were right on the edge of town and arrived on a Monday, we were able to find parking without any trouble, which can be a bit of a luxury in these hilltop villages. It made arriving and settling in so much easier. We were drawn in by the quirky decor. Everything was themed around the sea. Our room was called Monte Cristo, named after one of the lesser-known Tuscan islands. Before I lived here in Tuscany, I honestly thought Monte Cristo was just a made-up place from the Count of Monte Cristo adventures. But it's real and the room paid quite tribute to that dramatic story with nautical blues, an anchor in the corner and a headboard that could have belonged to Edmund and Mercedes themselves. Good morning, everyone. What a lovely morning it is. It looks a little bit clearer than yesterday. Yesterday was a little bit overcast. It's when the sun's out, it's nice and warm. It's a great day for hiking or for going to a hot spa or just for a stroll along the sea. Anyway, we're here in our little hilltop town. I'm looking out of the window there and we've got great views. Big pine tree in front of me, swallows flying all around and distant views of the sea and the island of Elba. We couldn't believe how close the swifts came to our window. At first, we thought they were swallows. We're not exactly bird experts, but during our stay, we learned the difference thanks to a dedicated swift trail that winds through the village. Every year, over a thousand swifts choose Campiglia as their nesting place, tucking their nests into the stones and tiles of historic buildings. They're faithful creatures, returning to the same nests each year and raising their young right in the heart of the village. We didn't have time to follow the trail from beginning to end, but it's always nice to have a reason to return, to really get under the skin of a place. The view is wonderful from up here. Even through the clouds, you could make out the soft curve of the coastline and the hills of the island of Elba, rising from the sea. Yes, the very island where Napoleon was exiled. It's part of Tuscany too, and from this little hilltop, it all felt wonderfully close. So we're off on a hike. It's like an urban hike, really. So we're heading for the Rocca of Campiglia. So apparently it's an old fortress, and we're having to wind through all these little cobbled lanes, and I think it's going to be a steep one. Do you think this is the way? I love this. I don't know what the name of this tree is, but it smells so beautiful, and I always associate it with the seaside, although we do have some in our garden too. We climbed up to the Rocca Campiglia, a centuries-old castle once held by a powerful noble family. You can see that the ruins here have been recently restored with great care. From the crenellated walls, we looked out over a patchwork of hills and terracotta rooftops all the way to sea, along with hazy views of the Tuscan archipelago. We hadn't done much research before our little getaway. Life as vacation rental hosts keeps us busy, so discovering what this little town had to offer came as a lovely surprise. As we wandered deeper into the labyrinth of cobbled streets, we stumbled upon a doorway decorated with colourful pieces of glass glinting in the sun like tiny jewels. It's the work of Lauro Pesce, an artist originally from Padua, whose gallery, Vitrium, is located nearby on Via Roma. Sadly, it was closed when we passed by. However, discovering her hidden artwork on the facade of this house totally made up for not being able to visit her gallery. Another unexpected treasure and another reason to come back. Maybe this is just one of the reasons why this little town has been nominated as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. So here we are, a little impromptu visit to the hilltop town of Popolonia. Popolonia is a very important Etruscan town, and from what I've read, it was quite unusual for the Etruscans to build a town so close to the coastline. In fact, you can see it behind us. It's an amazing coastline here. So Popolonia was also used not just for the Etruscans to live here, but it was also an industrial and commercial center. And Lorenzo and I came here many years ago, didn't we, Lorenzo? How long ago? 10 years ago. About 10 years ago. And even then, it was a bit of an impromptu visit. We came for the day. Where we're staying at the moment in our little hilltop town inland is only 25 minutes away from here. So again, we've come on an impromptu visit and we're going to show you a little bit of the town. It is tiny, but there are lots of things to do here. Anything Etruscan, if you love the Etruscans, definitely come here. There's a big archaeological park that you can go and visit. And we're not doing it today, but we will be back. Absolutely. Let's have a look at Popolonia together. It's a delightful little place. Oh, and by the way, a lot of our guests say to us, we're flying into Rome, we want to stop halfway up. Where can we go? And I often say, Popolonia, this is a great place to just stop off, have some lunch, take in some sea air, and then drive up to Vico Pisano, which we reckon is about an hour and a half from here. But we'll fill you in on that later. Ciao, ragazzi. Ciao. Ciao, ciao. Welcome to Popolonia, population 17. Yes, you heard it right. Just in case you missed my caption earlier, Popolonia appears to be just one tiny street, and it's hard to believe that it used to be a major Etruscan city. The castle dates back to the 1400s, built to keep pirates out. I've always been a little obsessed with castles. I've lived near one practically most of my life, so I always feel compelled to explore every time I see these old gates. Lorenzo isn't a castle obsessive like me, but he was gently persuaded to take the castle tour. I mean, how could he refuse? It's only three euro per person, and yes, they even take cards in case you're out of cash. Even Lorenzo's getting excited exploring the castle. He's like, should we go up here? Yes, of course we should go up here. Why wouldn't we want to go up here? Yeah, I knew Lorenzo would get interested. Yeah, San Vincenzo over there. He's looking at San Vincenzo. Castle cravings satisfied, we went to find a light lunch and window shop some of the cute little shops in town. We took a stroll down the main street. Here you'll find a mix of souvenirs, local products, and a couple of cute cafes and restaurants. There may only be a handful of shops here, but there is enough to keep the shoppers happy from floaty summer dresses, jewellery and floppy hats to leather goods and t-shirts with Italian slogans. Then we turned a quiet corner and found ourselves on a narrow back street running parallel to the main road. That's where we came across something quite unexpected, large black and white poster-sized photographs showing everyday life in the village from years gone by. So next stop is Barati. Barati is a beautiful bay and we're going to take you there, the Barati beach. It's not really beach weather. It's warm, it's very warm, but it's not swimming weather yet. 13th of May, not quite. Barati is more than just a beach. It's a quiet gulf embraced by centuries-old pine trees and washed by the same sea the Etruscans once sailed. Hidden among the dunes and the woods lie ancient necropolises, silent witnesses of a lost world. We found it peaceful at this time of year. A few beach clubs were just beginning to set up and a group of children played under the shade of the ancient pines. In summer, this beach becomes a favourite escape for locals and visitors alike. There's so much to see here. We'll be back for sure on a true Tuscan Etruscan adventure. We came for Campilia Maritima, but Popolonia and the Gulf of Barati stole our hearts too. Tuscany's small villages are just the very best and we're not done exploring yet. It's back home now to Vico Pisano, another true Tuscany gem. See you in the next video for more of local Tuscan life.