Tuscany · Grosseto
Isola del Giglio
A granite island in the Tyrrhenian Archipelago, walled village on the ridge, port below, where the Costa Concordia ran aground in January 2012.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Isola del Giglio is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
Subscribe and you get Isola del Giglio's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- J11°
- F11°
- M11°
- A13°
- M16°
- J20°
- J23°
- A24°
- S22°
- O18°
- N15°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 15°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Going to the sea? How to find the free beaches in Italy.
Why come
Isola del Giglio is the second-largest island in the Tuscan Archipelago, almost entirely granite, the highest point at Poggio della Pagana 496 meters above the sea. The commune has three inhabited frazioni: Giglio Porto on the eastern coast, where the ferries from Porto Santo Stefano dock; Giglio Castello on the central ridge at around 405 meters, the walled medieval village and administrative center; and Giglio Campese on the western bay, a 1960s seaside resort built on an old pyrite mine closed in 1964. Charlemagne gave the island to the abbey of Tre Fontane in 805.
It was Pisan from 1264, ceded to Antonio Piccolomini in the fifteenth century, then passed to the Medici in 1558. Saracen raids continued until 1799. The wreck of the Costa Concordia on the night of 13 January 2012 killed thirty-two people and held the world's attention until the ship was righted, refloated and towed to Genoa in July 2014.
How to get there
Isola del Giglio is on an island and is reached by ferry.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Giglio Castello
Walled medieval village on the ridge at around 405 meters, with intact mura and the Rocca Aldobrandesca, the administrative center of the island.
Giglio Porto
Main harbor of the island on the east coast, with the colored houses around the small ferry dock and the lighthouse of Capel Rosso to the south.
Giglio Campese
Largest bay and sandy beach of the island on the west coast, with the medieval Torre del Campese and the disused pyrite mine on the headland.
Poggio della Pagana
Highest point of the island at 496 meters, granite ridge with a panorama from Argentario to Elba and across to Giannutri to the southeast.
Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano
Protected park covering most of the island and the surrounding waters, with marked trails across the granite spine and the macchia mediterranea.
Living here
Could you live here?
Isola del Giglio is an island.
- Reached by ferry. In the series we say we would never live on an island: the ferry is a commitment every time you leave.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 1,271, down 11.4% since 2015 (Italy's emptying towns)
- Homes in the center: €1,650 to €2,450 per m² to buy, €6.20 to €8.90 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Very remote
- Pharmacy in town
- Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
- Full fibre reaches 100% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 4, very low hazard
- Regional capital Florence, across the water
If you are moving here
Who lives here
11% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Albania, Romania and Kyrgyzstan, against 9% across Italy. 18 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany. There are 512 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 72% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Grosseto province ranks 59th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds between 0.3% and 0.8% to your income tax, depending on your income, with nothing due on income under €15,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Tuscany spends about €2,410 a month, €540 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €770 a year for water, on the Tuscany average. In Grosseto, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.20.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 7% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 9% in a high or medium one. 11% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
COSTA CONCORDIA
Cruise ship grounded off Giglio Porto on 13 January 2012, killing thirty-two; refloated and towed to Genoa in July 2014.
GIGLIO CASTELLO
Walled ridge village at around 405 meters, the medieval and administrative center of the island under successive Pisan, Piccolomini and Medici rule.
ANSONACO
Local white wine, Ansonica from the Costa dell'Argentario DOC, grown on terraced granite slopes that ring the island.
Common questions
- What is Isola del Giglio known for?
- Isola del Giglio is a granite island in the Tyrrhenian Archipelago, walled village on the ridge, port below, where the Costa Concordia ran aground in January 2012.
- Where is Isola del Giglio?
- Isola del Giglio is a comune in the province of Grosseto, in Tuscany, at 405 meters above sea level.
- How do you get to Isola del Giglio?
- Isola del Giglio is on an island and is reached by ferry.
- When is the best time to visit Isola del Giglio?
- Best in May–Sep. August is the warmest month, averaging 24 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Isola del Giglio?
- Anacapri, Montescudaio and Capraia Isola.
- How many people live in Isola del Giglio?
- 1,271 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Isola del Giglio a good place to live?
- Isola del Giglio is an island town, reached by ferry, which our Where to Move in Italy series treats as the furthest end of the road. Full fibre reaches 100% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 405 m
- Population: 1,271
- Surface area: 24.01 km²
On the map
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Isola del Giglio appears in
- The best coastal towns in the province of GrossetoGrosseto provincecoastal6 towns · smallest 1,271 residents
- The best small coastal towns in TuscanyTuscanycoastalsmall6 towns · smallest 358 residents
- The prettiest villages in the province of GrossetoGrosseto provinceprettiest villages6 towns · smallest 1,271 residents
- The best towns inside a national park in TuscanyTuscanyinside a park8 towns · smallest 358 residents
Similar
Towns like Isola del Giglio
What all six share with Isola del Giglio: on the Tyrrhenian coast
Anacapri
Province: Napoli
both hill towns · both islands, reached by ferry
Montescudaio
Province: Pisa
both under 3,000 people · both hill towns
Capraia Isola
Province: Livorno
both islands, reached by ferry
Ravello
Province: Salerno
both under 3,000 people · both hill towns
Fiumefreddo Bruzio
Province: Cosenza
both under 3,000 people · both hill towns
Ventotene
Province: Latina
both islands, reached by ferry
The letter
Read a sample letter
Chioggia | Everyone is wrong about this town
It’s not an alternative to Venice
Letters from the towns we visit. Free.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.