TUSCANY BY KAYAK

In Tuscany, the stretch of coast around Golfo Baratti is truly splendid: in particular, the promontory of Populonia, between Baratti and Piombino, is a pearl for sea kayaking enthusiasts.
It starts just south of San Vincenzo, in the area of the Princess and the beaches of Torre Nuova, with the aim of reaching the most beautiful and ancient part of Piombino.
For this purpose we left the double canoe from the Princess, then took the car to Piombino and went back from the kayak along 13 km with the folding bike, which we would then recover at the end of the day.

The alternative is to use public transport ... and walk a little bit.
The long beach south of San Vincenzo is flat but full of surprises, especially from the Torre Nuova from which we left.

In fact, we found ourselves walking through a small port-canal that went under one picturesque castle.

Curious as children, we entered the canal, which was surrounded by thick vegetation and beautiful lilies.

Finally we left this area after our exciting explorations and we continued paddling towards Golfo Baratti. The small promontory that separates the area of the Torre Nuova from the Gulf presents cliffs, clear water and beautiful views.

We parked the kayak on a stony beach and, always driven by immense curiosity, we set off along a path that climbed into the vegetation.

We soon found ourselves in a fantastic field of sea-view poppies; we had traveled less than a kilometer kayaking in the desired direction, but our detours were giving us amazing views.

Near the field of poppies there were also ancient ruins, I believe Etruscan, in part excavated and then left in abandonment. We then continued our kayak tour, passing under wild cliffs.

The Gulf of Baratti presents a very long beach, very popular in the summer. To make this part of the coast particularly awesome, the beautiful vegetation behind it, some ancient buildings on the sea and, of course, the two headlands nearby.

The promontory to the south is considerably larger and more impressive and is that of Populonia; there are also ancient Etruscan ruins.

We left behind Golfo Baratti and continued south, towards our destination, Piombino. We were two hours behind schedule, because in Baratti we had decided to eat spaghetti with seafood, but not for this we renounced to explore every stretch of coast.

The whole promontory between Golfo Baratti and Piombino is a succession of cliffs and small bays. The landscape is really impressive, ideal to be admired by a canoe.

From one wild cliff to another, we arrived at some point at some rocks where there were some people, arrived from a path. It was the Buca delle Fate area, characterized by an extraordinarily blue water.

Approaching then to Piombino, one begins to see more and more closely the island of Elba, of which you can read here the report of our kayaking trip.

Before arriving in Piombino there are several deserted beaches of pebbles. The cliffs, however, increasingly resemble those of the island of Elba and, in some parts, they change color.

The first frequented beach that you meet is that of Calamoresca, at the foot of a cliff above which they begin to rise the houses of Piombino. After the last rocks, you get to the city.

We can not say that Piombino is beautiful: it has the advantage of rising on beautiful cliffs, but for the most part, condominiums of dubious taste were built. The oldest parts, however, are particularly fascinating.

Shortly after the tower of Piazza Bovio, there is another cliff with a pebble beach below and, at the top, a small cemetery. It's the place where I parked the car and photographed the folding bike. We are then arrived at the end of a spectacular trip, full of surprises in the first part and of pristine nature in the second.

It is a very good idea to spend more days in this part of Tuscany, so you could wild camp (where legal) or click here to find the best offers for accomodation.
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You can find more photos (with higher resolution) of kayaking trips in Tuscany in this gallery: