The Two Towns
Argentario’s promontory shows two main urban settlements, facing NW he have Porto Santo Stefano while on the SE part lies Porto Ercole. These two small towns gather the almost totality of population (about 12,000 people) and of course of our economic activities, though their urban development in the past has been very dissimilar and this according to their different locations. If we look up to the ancient times of the half of last millennium, we discover that the first small town centre to be enlarged was Porto Ercole, whose better position on the promontory made defensibility easier.
So, at the same time Porto Santo Stefano was still at an early stage, in 1500 Porto Ercole, ruled by the Republic of Siena, was even provided with city walls and one century later the small village was enriched in further defensive works by the Spanish. Once the need of defending the territory from pirates attacks during 18th century was finally faded, there begun the urban growth of Porto Santo Stefano, endowed with a larger basin than Porto Ercole’s one, and gifted with a natural harbour that suggested more chances of commercial expansion.
Together with the separation of the local community of Argentario from the one settled in the mainland village of Orbetello, there was a total reversal of the trend: Porto Ercole, the former leading village of the promontory had then become a small fishing suburb while Porto Santo Stefano would go through a considerable population and urban increase.
In the sixties Argentario came to be known as famous, wild and beautiful resort; this led to a huge trade and economic growth together with a housing boom concerning above all villas, residences and hotels built on beautiful harbours surrounded by Mediterranean scrub and facing the deep blue and the light azure of the sea.
For the particular orography of its territory, Porto Ercole has gone through a minor urban expansion, albeit in its surroundings in 1974 the port of Cala Galera was created, with a capacity of hundreds of boats of any tonnage .
From 1980s any kind of property speculation has been blocked, in such a way, both values and prices of pre-existing real estates has sky rocked impressively and this has lead to a very selected and exclusive tourist influx.
Recently however, the building trade has come to a new start as population is increasing year per year. Near Porto Santo Stefano a brand new satellite district has risen providing housing for many inhabitants.
