Hotel Il Pellicano is the hotel people mean when they talk about the old Italian Riviera glamour of the 1960s: a terracotta villa and a scatter of cottages tumbling down the cliffs of Monte Argentario to a private rocky beach, photographed by Slim Aarons and still run by the family that bought it in 1979. It is small, seasonal, expensive and very hard to book in August. My one-line verdict: arguably the most stylish seaside hotel in Tuscany, and one of the few legends in Italy that still feels like a private house, provided you want sea, sun and long dinners rather than a resort full of activities.
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Quick facts: Hotel Il Pellicano
- Location: Località Sbarcatello, on the cliffs about 3 km from Porto Ercole, Monte Argentario, southern Tuscany (province of Grosseto).
- Rooms and suites: around 50 rooms and suites in the main villa and garden cottages, plus the private Villa La Cicala. Published counts differ, so ask the hotel if the exact number matters.
- Price level: very high, among the most expensive seaside stays in Tuscany in July and August.
- Season: seasonal. The 2026 season runs from 2 April to 26 October; the hotel has announced 8 April to 2 November for 2027. It is closed in winter.
- Nearest airport: Rome Fiumicino, roughly 1 hour 50 minutes by car. Pisa and Florence are around 2 hours 30 to 2 hours 40 minutes.
- Best for: couples, design lovers, food lovers and anyone who wants a classic sea-view hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Check prices and availability
With only around 50 rooms and a season of barely seven months, sea-view rooms for June to September often sell out many months ahead. Compare dates early.
Location and getting there
Monte Argentario is a mountainous former island joined to the mainland by two sandbars and a causeway through the Orbetello lagoon. Of its two harbour towns, Porto Ercole is the smaller and more refined, overlooked by Spanish fortresses. Il Pellicano sits outside Porto Ercole in Località Sbarcatello, where the road ends above a sheltered cove. You look straight out over the Tyrrhenian Sea, and the only noise is cicadas and the odd tender heading to a yacht.
The story fits the setting. An English aviator, Michael Graham, and his American partner Patricia built the villa as their private hideaway and opened it as a hotel in 1965, and families from Rome’s high society, among them the Agnellis, soon followed. Roberto Sciò bought it in 1979. His daughter Marie-Louise Sciò, now chief executive and creative director of Pellicano Hotels, refreshed the property room by room from the early 2000s, without changing its bones. The group also runs La Posta Vecchia near Rome and Mezzatorre on Ischia, and since 2023 has had backing from the investor Aermont Capital for further expansion.
Rome Fiumicino is the natural gateway, at roughly 1 hour 50 minutes along the Aurelia coast road. Pisa and Florence are both possible but take around 2 hours 30 to 2 hours 40 minutes. A car is useful for exploring the Argentario, and private transfers can be arranged through the concierge (ask the hotel for prices); for planning, see our Italy travel planner. You can also arrive by sea at the hotel’s small private pier.
Rooms and suites
Room counts vary between sources, from 47 in a 2023 group announcement to around 50 in current listings, with some booking sites quoting higher figures. What is clear is that this is a small hotel, split between the main villa and cottages spread through terraced gardens of olive trees, pines and bougainvillea. The style is breezy Mediterranean rather than palazzo grand: white walls, terracotta floors, antiques, colourful ceramics and the yellow and white stripes that have become the hotel’s signature. Ahead of the 2026 season the group announced the refurbishment of 23 rooms and suites, so a good share of the inventory is freshly redone.
- Classic Room: the entry level. Usually without a meaningful sea view, so check before booking.
- Superior Rooms: available with garden or sea view. The sea view versions are worth the supplement.
- Junior Suites: again in garden or sea view versions, with more space for a longer stay.
- Deluxe Suite and Master Suite: larger suites, suited to a week rather than a weekend.
- Iconic Suite, Pellicano Suite and Argentario Suite: the signature suites at the top of the range.
- Villa La Cicala: a private villa for families or friends who want their own space. Ask the hotel for layout, bedrooms and services.
Room sizes and terraces are not consistently published, so put any request in writing when you book.
Dining
Food is a serious reason to stay, and many guests barely leave for dinner.
- Ristorante Il Pellicano: the fine dining restaurant, which holds one Michelin star in the MICHELIN Guide Italia 2026. Chef Michelino Gioia, originally from Campania, cooks creative contemporary Italian food built on Tuscan produce and small suppliers, from pigeon to lobster and red shrimp. Michelin singles out his pezzogna (blackspot sea bream) with pappa al pomodoro and mussels. Dinner runs from 19:30 to 22:00 on a sea-view terrace, the dress code is casual elegant and reservations are required, even for hotel guests.
- Pelligrill: the relaxed open-air restaurant, focused on fresh seafood from the bay. Popular with yacht crowds, so book in high summer.
- Bar All’Aperto: the outdoor bar for aperitivo with the sunset.
- Bar Roberto: the cocktail bar for after dinner.
- Beach and pool: light lunches and a juice bar down at the water.
The wine list is long and strong on Tuscany, so ask the sommelier for local Ansonica or Morellino di Scansano from the Maremma rather than defaulting to Brunello.
Check rates at Hotel Il Pellicano
Spa, pool and beach club
Do not come here expecting a large spa. Il Pellicano’s appeal is the sea, and its water facilities are built into the rocks.
- Heated seawater pool: set on a terrace above the cove, with loungers and those striped towels. This is the scene from the famous photographs.
- Private terraced beach: a rocky beach rather than sand, with platforms and ladders into deep, clear water. A lift cut into the cliff takes you down, and a new lift was installed ahead of the 2026 season.
- Beauty Club: part of the new Benissimo Club wellness concept the group launched across its three hotels. It covers treatments with Italian brands founded by women, among them Irene Forte, Seed to Skin and Lávika, plus movement, nature and nutrition. Older descriptions of the hotel’s spa mention a Roman-style steam room and four treatment rooms; ask the hotel what is in place for your dates.
- Gym: a fitness room, with personal trainers available.
Sport and activities
Sport here is a pleasant extra rather than the main event, which is why the hotel appears in our guides to tennis hotels in Tuscany and golf hotels in Tuscany as the stylish seaside option rather than the sports resort.
Tennis
There is a single tennis court in the grounds, available for a fee. A personal trainer can be booked through the hotel if you want a hitting partner or a session. The surface and floodlighting are not published, so ask the hotel.
Golf
There is no golf on site, but Argentario Golf Club, an 18-hole par 71 course on the edge of Porto Ercole that is now the PGA National Golf Course Italy, is a short drive away. It plays all year and has a handicap limit of 36. Book tee times directly with the club or ask the concierge; the hotel does not publish green fee arrangements. For more courses, see our guide to golf in Tuscany.
On the water and on foot
From the pier and the beach you can paddleboard, snorkel and water ski, and sailing boat charters can be arranged for a day around the Argentario; ask the hotel about longer trips to Giglio or Giannutri. Sunrise yoga, guided hikes and e-bike rides are part of the Benissimo programme. Our guide to the best yacht spots along the Tuscany coast has ideas for a day at sea.
What’s nearby
- Porto Ercole: a few minutes by car, with a harbour full of yachts, the Spanish forts above town and seafood restaurants along the waterfront.
- Porto Santo Stefano: the livelier harbour on the other side of the mountain, with ferries to Giglio. Read our guide to Porto Santo Stefano and Monte Argentario.
- Feniglia: the long sandy beach and pine forest on the sandbar just north of Porto Ercole, ideal if you miss sand.
- Orbetello: the lagoon town on the causeway, known for smoked eel and bottarga.
- The Maremma inland: Capalbio, Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden and the Saturnia hot springs are all easy day trips.
Il Pellicano vs other Tuscan and coastal luxury hotels
| Hotel | Location | Standout | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel Il Pellicano | Porto Ercole, Monte Argentario | Cliffside setting, seawater pool, rocky beach club, Michelin-starred restaurant | Couples, style and food lovers |
| Argentario Golf & Wellness Resort | Porto Ercole, inland valley | 18-hole PGA National course, tennis, padel, spa | Golfers and active stays, open all year |
| Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco | Montalcino, Val d’Orcia | Private golf course, Brunello winery, villas | Wine lovers and golfers inland |
| Il San Pietro di Positano | Amalfi Coast | Cliffside family-run legend with lift to the sea | Romantic sea-view stays further south |
In short: if golf comes first, stay at the Argentario resort and come to Il Pellicano for dinner. For Tuscan wine country, read our Castiglion del Bosco review. If you love the idea of a cliffside family-run hotel with a lift down to the sea but prefer the Amalfi Coast, our Il San Pietro di Positano review covers the closest equivalent.
Who it suits, and who it does not
It suits:
- Couples celebrating something, who want a sea-view terrace and a starred dinner without leaving the hotel.
- Design and photography lovers drawn to the hotel’s mid-century history.
- Swimmers who prefer deep, clear water off the rocks to a crowded sandy beach.
- Golfers travelling with non-golfers who want sea, boats and style.
It does not suit:
- Families with young children: the hotel welcomes children from the age of 8, according to the Michelin hotel listing.
- Anyone who wants a sandy beach on the doorstep.
- Serious tennis players or golfers who want facilities on site.
- Winter travellers, as the hotel is closed from late autumn to spring.
- Travellers on a tight budget.
Charlotte’s tip: go in June or September, and book dinner with the room
Pick early June or the second half of September. The sea is warm, the light is softer and the rocks are calmer than in August, when yacht guests fill the Pelligrill. Reserve your table at Ristorante Il Pellicano when you book the room, and ask for a sea view room rather than the cheapest category: the view is the whole point of this hotel.
Practical tips
- Booking: plan well ahead for July and August. Shoulder months in April, May and October are easier and kinder on price.
- Best rooms to request: any sea view category; a Junior Suite Sea View is a good balance of space and price, and the signature suites for a special occasion.
- Season: 2 April to 26 October in 2026 and 8 April to 2 November in 2027, subject to change.
- Dress: relaxed resort wear by day, casual elegant in the evening.
- Kids: children aged 8 and over are welcome; confirm with the hotel when booking.
Check prices and availability
Compare garden and sea view rooms, check the signature suites and look at June and September dates for better value.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Il Pellicano have a Michelin star?
Yes. Ristorante Il Pellicano holds one Michelin star in the MICHELIN Guide Italia 2026, with Michelino Gioia as chef. The hotel itself also holds one MICHELIN Key in Michelin’s hotel selection.
Is Il Pellicano open all year?
No. The 2026 season runs from 2 April to 26 October, and the 2027 season from 8 April to 2 November. The hotel closes in winter.
Does Il Pellicano have a beach?
Yes, a private terraced rocky beach reached by a lift down the cliff, with a heated seawater pool above it. For sand, Feniglia beach is a short drive away.
How far is Il Pellicano from Rome?
Around 1 hour 50 minutes by car from Rome Fiumicino airport, depending on traffic along the Aurelia.
