PORTO ERCOLE, Italy — Even before you cross the threshold at Argentario Golf & Wellness Resort the very natural ambience of the location has taken hold.
Green lizards flit across the stone path upon approach, while barn swallows swoop into their nests in the eaves. In the hotel foyer, the golden light of the Tuscan morning sun bleaches the soft, earthy tones of the welcoming furniture and through the vast windows are the endless, rolling hills beyond.
Decades ago, owner Augusto Orsini took family holidays on the Promontorio dell’Argentario, a largely unknown and unspoilt kink in the Italian coastline. So, when the chance came to combine his deep love for this area with a handful of other passions — such as golf, wellness, luxurious property and nature itself — that opportunity was seized. Early on, the gifted designer Andrea Fogli was offered a chance to shine. His grasp of both classical and modern style across the public areas and the private homes proved an instant hit and a perfect match.
From above, the main hotel, which is a recent addition to the Marriott Autograph Collection, looks like a dragonfly, with the main body a central hub from which spread the wings that house a variety of different room styles. Each looks out across the golf course to the olive groves beyond, and in the distance glints the lagoon, a reminder of Argentario’s perch just off the mainland, with a narrow road the connective tissue to the gorgeous town of Orbetello and beyond.
This design configuration is a nod to the vibrant wildlife that enchants and enriches the landscape, but it also brings with it a certain degree of privacy, though the wide-open spaces of the public areas never appear congested. Instead, the resort moves at its own, gentle pace, calming the nerves of its many visitors.
The golf course, an 18-hole, par-71 layout that weaves through the surrounding countryside, is a sufficient test to have been designated in 2019 as PGA National Italy, the only golf course with this designation in the country. With carefully curated variety in the tee markers, the course is a joy to play at all levels of the handicap spectrum.
Designed in 2006 by architect David Mezzacane and the tour player Baldovino Dassù, the front and back nines — recently switched in order to accentuate the strong finishing holes — offer contrasting and complementary golfing adventures through the property.
Holes one through nine take the player around the land in front of the hotel, passing wild flower meadows and ponds on which little egrets cool their pristine feathers. The second half of the course begins with a fine dogleg around the practice ground, climbing up and around the hill on which a limited number of residential villas are being built — a handful of which are still available for purchase. Then from the 12th tee stretches a par 5 and a panoramic vista that are timeless. The 18th features an intoxicating approach over a lake to a green tucked in beneath the terrace of the Club House restaurant. By the time you are finished, you will be in love with this golfing puzzle, and with the Tuscan way of life.
Orsini’s dedication to doing things the right way led to BioAgriCert accreditation, which recognizes the careful, ecologically-sound manner in which the course is kept. While this environmental focus has borne fruit in terms of the flora and fauna that share the space, the climate ensures that the standards of turf conditioning match the quality of the design.
The course is in such pristine shape that it will host the DP World Tour’s 82nd Italian Open (June 26-29).
To focus only on golf, though, would be to miss much of what else the promontory offers. Between morning and afternoon rounds, the locals relax under parasols sampling local cheeses and cold meats, with the delicious homemade olive oil an ideal match for regular deliveries of freshly baked Ciabatta and Pane Toscano. Back at the hotel, the food and beverage step up another level, as the delightful breakfast room hosts an extraordinary spread, and the chic Dragonfly Bar is the epitome of Italian elegance.
But it is the recently refurbished Dama Dama restaurant, though, that is most revelatory about Argentario, capitalizing on the proximity of various local fishing villages in the menu options. The inventive blend of creative ideas with classical flavors results in dishes that one is loath to finish, lest the taste sensation disappear forever. But along comes another tantalizing course, and the whole delightful experience starts over again. It is simply brilliant cuisine, the artistry of the chefs matched only by the charming and friendly delivery of the resort’s staff team.
Add in the resort’s other amenities, which which include a superb gym full of the latest Technogym kit, swimming pools indoors and out, tennis and padel ball, a spa with all manner of pampering sessions available and the various walking, jogging and e-bike trails. For being a unique facility offers so much, there is also a tranquil ambience.
Among the final details I notice while returning golf clubs to the state-of-the-art TrackMan studio at the end of the driving range is a Gary Snyder quote positioned on the side of the water refilling station. It encapsulates the motif that runs through the veins of this Tuscan paradise: “Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.”
Argentario is a modern, luxurious, stylish spot to visit, but somehow, in maintaining the primary focus on nature, it manages to never feel like a holiday destination. Instead, for the plethora of inhabitants, human and otherwise, it is more like home.