Castiglione della Pescaia and Cala Violino in April

We are staying a week in Piombino in April and the plan for Thursday is ambitious. The destination, new, is Castiglione della Pescaia, which has been tempting me for ages when I look at a map but is nearly an hour from our accommodation in Piombino. But it’s a pleasant drive through the spring-green countryside and there isn’t much traffic. It’s quite easy to find free parking just outside the centre and we walk up. Castiglione is more simple to navigate than Massa Marritima – the historical centre is in the higher part of the village and at the top of that there’s the castle and the main church. The warm-coloured stone houses and five zigzagging streets are uphill but not very steep and we are soon at the church at the top. 

It’s all nice, but perhaps not as much as I imagined. Bosa, in Sardinia, for example is prettier. The church of San Giovanni Battista is empty. There’s a painting behind the altar which is good, but a little depressing, Christ being taken down from the cross, a picture of despair, with no hint of the hope of resurrection. The castle at the top is private but there are fine views of Castiglione below and the coast.

We walk down, along the sea front. Very different from Follonica in one way, because there are smart villas on the land side of the seafront, but similar in that you can’t see much of the sea because of the beach clubs, bars and restaurants. It’s a beautiful sunny day but Castiglione is quite quiet. We walk back to the car through the small centre where there are boutiques, shops and restaurants. It’s all very clean and welcoming. All in all a pleasant seaside town, without the offensive architecture of Follonica.

The restaurants/rosticcerie we had looked up don’t click somehow so we got to Conad for focaccia and soppressa and drive to Spiaggia delle Rocchette to find a nice place for a picnic. Unless you want to sit in full sunshine below the walls of the only (open) restaurant there isn’t a nice place for a picnic, so we end up in a side road a bit further along where there is some shade, but both the focaccia and the soppressa are good.

Next stop is Portiglione, Marina di Scarlino, where we are lucky to find somewhere open for a coffee. We then carry on past the Marina and park just at the beginning of the walk to Cala Violino. There is limited parking and most of it is uncomfortable (you’ll see what I mean) but we find a space without scraping the bottom of the car. We did this walk back in October 2021, but it was autumn and I’m curious to discover what the spring vegetation can offer. The first part is in the wood, and forest clearance work has been carried out ready for the summer season, so the natural environment is a little devastated. But it’s cool, even though there aren’t’ any sea views. As we progress the trees thin, the clearance work finishes and there are some fine stretches of the route on the coast with stunningly blue sea to the right and the Mediterranean vegetation in full flower.

We go quite slowly because I’m a little tired from the morning walk so I’m not sure if it takes us an hour or longer to arrive at Cala Violino. There are a few people and we chat to an Italo-English couple. It’s four o’clock but the sun is right on the beach and it’s warm and summer-like. I don’t hear the violins this time either, but it’s well worth the walk. The rest on the sand, putting my feet in the chilly sea, or just the place in itself invigorate me and we make good time returning to the car. But it’s a bit of a rush to eat and be out by sunset and I’m tired. Never mind, it was a fantastic day!