Orbetello is a holiday town situated between two lagoons. It is located on the isthmus that connects the Monte Argentario Peninsula with the mainland. There are sandy beaches around and a nature reserve where you can see, among others, flamingos.
The location between two lagoons was the city's curse in the past. It was considered an extremely unhealthy and unfriendly place to live. The surrounding areas were developed in the interwar period, making Orbatello a popular resort.
The city is located on a narrow isthmus. It is small, with tightly arranged buildings that had to fit in a small space. The 14th-century cathedral with valuable frescoes and the historic center with numerous tenement houses have been preserved here from the past centuries. You can also see the remains of the walls with the city gate. Car traffic is forbidden in the city center due to its small size and narrow streets.
The beaches, the biggest attraction of Orbetello, are located on the other two inlets closing both lagoons to the south and north. They are sandy and quite wide, and in the summer they are very eagerly visited by the inhabitants of Rome for one-day or weekend trips.
North of the city you can visit the Orbetello Nature Reserve. It protects the wetlands on the edge of the lagoon, inhabited by many species of marsh and water birds. Its greatest pride are the flamingos that live here in the wild.
