Buca delle Fate (Hole of the Fairies)

A name so fascinating and mysterious already offers by itself an attraction to visit the place that bears it. The Hole of the Fairies (Buca delle Fate) is located in Tuscany, and precisely in the municipality of Piombino, on the promontory of Populonia and Baratti. We’re in Maremma, at the end of the Val di Cornia, at the end of the Monti Metalliferi.

This particular bay, so rich in history for the presence of numerous testimonies of Etruscan civilization, art, and culture, also has the good fortune to be one of the most beautiful natural paradises of the Mediterranean.

The seabed is beautiful, and you can see many colourful fish, molluscs, crabs, and marine vegetation. The sea is dreamy. Here you can find a cove of pebbles, a rocky cliff overlooking the sea, and the sound of the wind in your hair. This is the real sea, the one you can look at and feel on your skin.

On this small peninsula overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, in Tuscany, is concentrated a large number of qualities to leave visitors stunned.

Buca delle Fate beach
 

And perhaps the presence of the Etruscan necropolis has inspired the name of this small bay. Fairies have always been identified as magical creatures of rare beauty, difficult to decipher, and impossible to capture.

Perhaps this evocative image has inspired the legend that gave the name to the Buca delle Fate, for the beauty of the pebble beach, and the transparent seabed with green and blue reflections. The bay is as if wrapped in the green of the thick vegetation above, so much so that it can only be reached by a narrow dirt path that can only be followed on foot. A small corner of uncontaminated paradise overlooking the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago.

Buca delle Fate: the legend

The story takes place in times not well defined, when a group of fishermen were on this stretch of sea. Just near the Gulf of Baratti, the fishermen heard female voices singing fascinating melodies. They followed them until they were able to distinguish the faces of young girls who, even if for brief moments, were singing and twirling on the surface of the water.

Fishermen on the Etruscan Coast
 

This vision attracted the incredulous fishermen to that place even the following days. These visions became increasingly complex, involving seahorses, dolphins, and other marine species in intricate, spectacular choreography. Much to the disappointment of the fishermen, the visions were only visible for a few moments, so much so that they were left in doubt as to whether they were real or just dreams.
 

Sirens
 

Valerio, a particularly enterprising fisherman, wanted to personally ascertain the reality of these visions, sailing to the Buca delle Fate.

Here a vortex swallowed his boat, which, after going through a tunnel covered with phosphorescent jellyfish, arrived in a dream garden, rich in corals and every kind of marine animals and vegetation.

There, young Sirens were dancing and playing among the wonders of this garden, but they didn’t like Valerio’s presence and locked him up in a cave.

Locked at the bottom of the sea

His fishermen friends and his fiancée waited for him for a long time, and at a certain point, since he didn’t come back, they thought he was missing.

One night, while his girlfriend was on the seashore crying her heart out, a dolphin, moved by her sadness, approached her. The girl’s tears bathed him, and landing on his back were becoming luminous pearls.

A mermaid, when she saw these beautiful jewels, wanted to ask them from the dolphin, who gave them to her only in exchange for Valerio’s release. 

Valerio’s return was a big party, and his girlfriend could marry him.

That’s why it is called the Hole of the Fairies.

Since then, this place was called Buca delle Fate (The Hole of the Fairies) in memory of this episode.

How to get to Buca delle Fate   
 

As is often the case with these places, the journey itself to reach them is one of the most beautiful things about a location. The Buca delle Fate is no exception because the paths you take to reach it are naturalistic wonders opening onto beautiful views.

The bay can be reached by sea, but also through three different paths to be travelled on foot, mountain bike, or horseback. Do not forget your rock shoes.

Route 1
 

Short length

• Departure: Località Il Reciso, Baratti
• Distance: 3,5 km
• Difference in height: 105 m.
• Duration: about 20/25 minutes, and the same for the return

This is the shortest route, and it’s advisable to leave the car on the road between Populonia and Baratti, at the junction indicating Buca delle Fate. To easily find a parking spot, it’s best to arrive early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

The path crosses woods of holm oaks, olive trees, and Mediterranean scrub. The last stretch near the coast is rocky. Wear comfortable shoes.

Route 2
 

 Medium length

• Departure: Baratti
• Duration: about 50 minutes

Via dei Cavalleggeri

Leaving from the Canessa Restaurant in Baratti, you follow the ancient route of the Cavalleggeri who used to move between the various watchtowers. This route crosses the northern part of the promontory, and reaches an equipped area where you can enjoy a view of Populonia.

You arrive at the Populonia lighthouse on the path that leads to the Buca delle Fate.

Route 3

 Long route

• Departure: Località Calamoresca
• Distance: 7,2 km
• Difference in height: path with dirt road
• Duration: about 1 hour and 40 minutes, and the same for the return

High above the Gulf of Baratti 

After leaving the car at the parking lot of Calamoresca, in Piombino, follow a path for 1 km until the junction for Spiaggia Lunga. After 1 km there is another cross on the left, on a path immersed in a very thick vegetation, until you reach the gravel beach Fosso delle Canne.

From here the path continues and climbs towards the promontory where you remain on the Etruscan coast. You pass by a hunting station and climb to the top in the area of Conventaccio. Turn left, and go down on path number 1. 

For the return trip, take the path up to the slopes of Monte Pecorino. You continue until the Ghiaccioni district, and arrive at the Calamoresca parking lot and back in Piombino.

The pearl of the Gulf of Baratti
 

The promontory has several paths that intertwine with those indicated, through which you can reach the Buca delle Fate also from other routes. All these paths are immersed in a forest of holm oaks, a natural and historical context of high value, where, in this case, history leaves room to legend.

Who knows, maybe you can relive some lost legend, too.

Nature in the Gulf of Baratti
 

The nature trails and the uncontaminated bay of Buca delle Fate make this location a real pearl on the coast of Tuscany. Visit the Etruscan Coast in Tuscany, and even without seeing the Sirens, you will discover a world of history, nature, and relaxation.

The Buca delle Fate is a pebble beach, one of the few reachable by land met on the rocky coast between the promontory of Piombino and Populonia. The water and the rocky seabed make it sheltered from the winds, and the crystal-clear sea shows all its beauty. It’s not the usual beach, and don’t think to find refreshment points. Here nature has the upper hand, and there is no intention to contaminate this beauty just to give some more comfort to visitors. La Buca delle Fate should be enjoyed as it is.

Map Fairy Hole