Terre di Sacra, Maremma Italy

In short… A wildly special corner of southern Tuscany where farmland meets the Tyrrhenian Sea, and life is lived somewhere between a working estate, beach club lounging, and a much-loved home that started by—and still welcomes—friends and family.

The surroundings… You’re deep in southern Maremma here. Terre di Sacra sits within the WWF Oasis of Lake Burano, Italy’s first WWF reserve, established in 1968 with the help of the estate’s owners to protect this stretch of coastline and lagoon. The estate itself dates back to 1922, when the land was acquired by a group of friends and carefully restored from a wild, inhospitable terrain into the balanced ecosystem it is now—farmland, dunes, wetlands, and coast all coexisting. Today, that mix is what makes it so special: long-horned cattle grazing in open pasture, migratory birds cutting across the lagoon, the sea just beyond the dunes.

The vibe… Warm, familial, and entirely unforced. There’s a sense that everything has evolved slowly and intentionally without ever trying too hard. Margherita Puri Negri and her family have created something that operates more like a shared home than a hotel. You feel it in the way guests interact as old friends reminiscing how their previous summers were spent here, in the languid pace of the days, in the small details that make everything easy.

The rooms… Properly varied and spread across the landscape. The eco-luxe lodges are tucked into a sun-dappled treeline just behind the dunes—wood-panelled, cabin-like, and nicely private, some with outdoor showers and metallic bathtubs that come into their own after a salty, sandy day. Down by the shoreline, the tents (proper wooden structures cocooned in canvas) are positioned right in the dunes, some just steps from the sea, so you fall asleep to the sound of the waves but still have proper beds, WiFi, and the option of breakfast delivered to your deck. Then there are the villas and cottages, which carry the estate’s agricultural past—former stables, storage spaces, even an old piggery—now reworked into generous homestays. In one, the living room was once the stable, the dining room where tractors came in stacked with hay under the arches. They’re big, characterful, and made for groups, with long tables, outdoor terraces, and pizza ovens that naturally draw everyone together.

The wellness… Low-key and landscape led. There’s a new yoga deck with a resident instructor, plus private sessions if you want them on your terrace, but otherwise it’s about making use of what’s around you—sea swims, long walks through the scrubby, fragrant patches of macchia. There’s no spa on site, but the Saturnia thermal springs are an easy (and very worthwhile) excursion if you’re craving a proper soak.

The food & drink… Flexible, generous, and very much in keeping with the setting. La Dogana Beach Club is the daytime anchor. In summer, Il Doganino serves coastal classics like lobster rolls and octopus sandwiches, or you can opt for a picnic hamper to be delivered straight to your lounger. Back on the estate, it’s more about long, informal meals—cooking in your lodge, gathering around outdoor tables, or, in my case, sitting down on the sandbar to a farm-to-table lunch laid out by the medieval Buranaccio Tower (the southernmost watchtower on the Tyrrhenian coast) after a morning horse ride. In the rooms, you can also help yourself to bottles from the nearby Monteverro vineyard, a small-production winery that’s named after the wild boar that root around in the Capalbio hills.

Be sure to… Immerse yourself in buttero culture, the ways of the region’s horse-whispering herdsmen, by booking a horse ride or timing your stay for one of the resort’s equestrian retreats in collaboration with Riding Safari Club (look out for ‘Tuscan Wilds’ dates). Riding alongside Maremma’s traditional cattle herders, often compared to cowboys but with roots that go back centuries, is the most authentic way to get a feel for this varied terrain.

Extra tip goes to… Prisco, my majestic horse. A seasoned cattle herder who has been looked after by the family for years, ridden by Margherita’s father and brother. Riding him in a 100-year-old saddle and learning the rhythm of herding from his back was a real highlight.

Parting words… Terre di Sacra isn’t trying to be a hotel in the traditional sense, and that’s exactly why it works. It’s the kind of place designed for repeat visits, not just peak season summer stays. It works for couples, families, and groups alike—you just return and do it differently.

Dates of stay… 17-19 April 2026