The coves of Punta Righini

The headland of Punta Righini closes the bay of Castiglioncello to the north. It is not a beach: it is a run of small coves between flat rocks, reached down steps cut into the stone, where the water turns deep and clear at once.

You get there along the seafront avenue, leaving the car in the village. The best light is early morning, when the sun catches the rock face and you can see the bottom several metres down. August is busy but never as crowded as the sand a little further south.

From September to May it becomes a place to walk: the path follows the coast through holm oaks and Aleppo pines, with the gulf opening up as far as Livorno.