Tuscany · Grosseto
Isola del Giglio
A granite island in the Tyrrhenian Archipelago, walled village on the ridge, port below, where the Costa Concordia ran aground in January 2012.
Known for
COSTA CONCORDIA
Cruise ship grounded off Giglio Porto on 13 January 2012, killing thirty-two; refloated and towed to Genoa in July 2014.
GIGLIO CASTELLO
Walled ridge village at around 405 meters, the medieval and administrative center of the island under successive Pisan, Piccolomini and Medici rule.
ANSONACO
Local white wine, Ansonica from the Costa dell'Argentario DOC, grown on terraced granite slopes that ring the island.
When to visit
Best · May–Sep
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: Mamiliano di Palermo, 15 September
Why come
Isola del Giglio is the second-largest island in the Tuscan Archipelago, almost entirely granite, the highest point at Poggio della Pagana 496 meters above the sea. The commune has three inhabited frazioni: Giglio Porto on the eastern coast, where the ferries from Porto Santo Stefano dock; Giglio Castello on the central ridge at around 405 meters, the walled medieval village and administrative center; and Giglio Campese on the western bay, a 1960s seaside resort built on an old pyrite mine closed in 1964. Charlemagne gave the island to the abbey of Tre Fontane in 805.
It was Pisan from 1264, ceded to Antonio Piccolomini in the fifteenth century, then passed to the Medici in 1558. Saracen raids continued until 1799. The wreck of the Costa Concordia on the night of 13 January 2012 killed thirty-two people and held the world's attention until the ship was righted, refloated and towed to Genoa in July 2014.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Isola del Giglio’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Giglio Castello
Walled medieval village on the ridge at around 405 meters, with intact mura and the Rocca Aldobrandesca, the administrative center of the island.
Giglio Porto
Main harbor of the island on the east coast, with the colored houses around the small ferry dock and the lighthouse of Capel Rosso to the south.
Giglio Campese
Largest bay and sandy beach of the island on the west coast, with the medieval Torre del Campese and the disused pyrite mine on the headland.
Poggio della Pagana
Highest point of the island at 496 meters, granite ridge with a panorama from Argentario to Elba and across to Giannutri to the southeast.
Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano
Protected park covering most of the island and the surrounding waters, with marked trails across the granite spine and the macchia mediterranea.
The slow-trip planner
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Living here
- Population 1,330
- Very remotei
- Pharmacy in town
- Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
- Regional capital Firenze, 3 h 57 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 405 m
- Population: 1,330
- Surface area: 24.01 km²
On the map
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Close by
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