Hotel Il Pellicano

Hotel Il Pellicano sits at Porto Ercole on Monte Argentario, the headland on the southern Tuscan coast linked to the mainland across the Orbetello lagoon. The hotel runs down the hillside to a cove, with paths through terraced gardens leading to a private beach.

There are 50 rooms and suites, from classic rooms to named suites and Villa La Cicala. The Michelin Guide gives the hotel a Michelin Key, and Ristorante Il Pellicano holds a Michelin star. There is a cliffside pool, a beach club long loved by the photographer Slim Aarons, a spa, a tennis court and bikes. Events and weddings have their own section on the hotel's website.

Il Pellicano takes weddings only as a full buyout, so the whole hotel is yours, and events can be held only while the hotel is open for the season. Vows are said on the beach, with guests seated on the white esplanade above the bay, and the gardens suit a picnic and a tennis party. Ask the team about legal or symbolic ceremonies and the music curfew.

The food is the other draw. The kitchens are led by the Michelin-starred chef Michelino Gioia, and there is the Pelligrill and the beach club for a slow lunch by the water. The Pelliclub is set up for beauty and getting ready.

The 50 rooms and suites sleep 100 to 120 guests, so most wedding parties can stay together, and the four private suites in the garden villas keep families or the bridal party close. The hotel opens from April to October, with exact dates shared on its website, and children must be eight or over.

Porto Ercole is listed among the most beautiful villages in Italy, with three Spanish forts above the harbour, and the long Feniglia beach is close by. Rome Fiumicino airport is 150 km away and Rome is about a two hour drive. The hotel's drivers can collect guests from any airport.