Costa degli Etruschi May 2021 - Baratti and Populonia

Wednesday morning we are free and it's about a three-quarters of an hour drive to Baratti which immediately promises to be nice as we drive in along the narrow road with the pines to the left and a totally natural beach beyond. Parking, surprisingly and probably unusually, is still free and the car park right at the end is almost empty. We go up the tarmacked road and then onto a path towards the village of Populonia - an ancient Etruscan village once of considerable importance. There are occasional beautiful views of the bay of Baratti below and the countryside beyond. It's a sunny day but the wind is cold and blustery. The tiny hamlet of Populonia with its few houses and sloping square carved directly out of stone is delightful. 

Our walk continues along the road as far as a car park and from here we take the path through Mediterranean vegetation towards Buca delle fate. The path goes by an ancient quarry and old tombs of a burial area probably using the spaces carved in the rock by the quarrying. A large information panel has been so persistently covered by graffiti that it's impossible to decipher the explanation, also in English, below. A sign points us in the direction of Cala Quirico at 5 minutes but it takes more than ten just for a glimpse of the stony cove below so we don't proceed.

Buca delle fate is spectacular. A rocky outcrop above blue sea with woods and rocky coast in both directions, the rocks have been eroded into strange forms and the sea decidedly blue. 

We find a a sheltered spot among the rocks for our picnic. It's not particularly comfortable but it's nice to be protected from the wind. In the distance there's a view of Elba island, and we can just make out Corsica.

The rocky base means we don't linger after finishing our picnic. There's a sign at the start of the coast path to Baratti saying the path is closed due to a landslide but a man with his dog sitting on the rocks says it's ok to go and we are further reassured when a young couple arrive from that direction and say it's no problem. The path is right next to the coast with fine views and full of flowers and we are enjoying the walk..... 

....until we get to the spot of the landslide. The coast side of the path has disappeared down into the sea over a hundred metres below so the path itself is a narrow strip of earth? or rock? above nothingness. It's just 3 or 4 metres. We take it one at a time keeping as far to the right as the vegetation allows but when we are safely on the other side and look back towards the nothingness I wonder if it was a good idea......

Anyway we did it and we are safe and sound but I wouldn't head that way again or advise anyone reading this to do so. The path remains suspended above the blue sea despite the comforting vegetation on both sides and all things considered we're relieved when we get back to Baratti after a short stop at a shady picnic bench with a splendid view of the bay. 

Near the bench there's an information panel. Baratti was once one of the most important Etruscan ports on the Tuscan coast, an active and populated place for the exchange of goods and, no less important, for the processing of iron from Elba island. Until the beginning of the 20th century the coast was covered in heaps of ferrous residues of the ancient iron processing. Even today, in fact, the color of the sand has a peculiar black-silver feature that shines under the sun's rays. When these remains were discovered and used, excavations brought to light the ancient Etruscan acropolis and necropolis.

We move the car a little way back along the road and go to sit on the beach for a while.

Splendid. There are hardly any buildings in Baratti so the view is just blue sea, green pinewood and fields, nice sand. For the first time during the holiday I risk paddling. The water seems icy cold compared with the hot darkish sand. A beach bar is open but we don't take advantage. It's very very pleasant relaxing on the beach before the drive back home. A place to recommend, at least out of season.