We have already established that Monte Argentario is not just a sea.

What Monte Argentario is not just a promontory … also.

From the Etruscans to the Romans, from the papal dynasties to the stars of the show from the 60s to today, the history of Porto Santo Stefano and Porto Ercole is a succession of important roles in national and international history.

Today we go back in time to the middle of the sixteenth century, more precisely in 1557, when, following the Treaty of Cateau – Chambresis, some territories belonging to the Republic of Siena were redistributed.

Orbetello, Porto Santo Stefano, Porto Ercole, Ansedonia and Talamone went to form the State of the Presidi, a Spanish protectorate of the then King Philip II, managed by the viceroy of Naples.

Spain thought it well to exploit the advantageous position of the coasts and of the promontory as a defensive pivot of the territory. The morphology of Monte Argentario in fact made it perfect to accommodate the Spanish fortifications.

With the creation of the Fortress at Porto Santo Stefano, and of Forte Stella, Forte Filippo and the Rocca aldobrandesca of Porto Ercole, life at Monte Argentario began to flourish again, thanks to the military protection guaranteed by the fortifications.

After a phase in which Philip II ceded the State of the principals to the Austrians, from 1973 to 1800, the protectorate passed under the Kingdom of Sicily until 1801.