Formiche di Grosseto

The Grosseto Ants are three small islets that are part of theTuscan Archipelago and are located in front of the Argentario promontory, about 28 km away from Porto Santo Stefano.

The two ends of the Grosseto Ants are about one nautical mile apart and lie on a very deep stretch of sea that is extremely popular with divers. The whole area is a protected natural area and is considered a site of regional interest.

The largest island on the Ants is to the northwest, where there is also a maritime lighthouse that emits a white flash every six seconds visible 11 miles away. The lighthouse was renovated in 1919, but was placed on the Big Ant in 1901 by the Navy. It is currently fully automated, but formerly housed the keepers’ quarters.

The islands are used by many waterfowl including the herring gull, which has also populated them due to the presence of some landfills along the Grosseto coast. Authorities are currently working to preserve the natural habitat of the islands and are monitoring the flora and fauna.

The area is popular with boaters who come from the coasts and moor around the islands for fishing and diving. From here there are many other places to moor your boat, just a few miles away are the island of Giglio, theArgentario promontory, Punta Ala, and the island of Elba. Porto Santo Stefano is 13 miles away and Castiglione della Pescaia 11.

The three islands are called Formica Grande, Formica Media and Formichino and have numerous diving spots with spectacular walls. On Formica Grande there is also a helicopter landing strip and three old piers for mooring boats. The jetties are arranged to be sheltered from winds and currents and theoretically landing would be prohibited, however on some days the crowding of boats and dinghies is very high.

The walls of the islands sink rapidly to a depth of 100 meters and, due to the fairly high distance from the coast, are pristine natural havens. The sea is crystal clear and visibility is excellent even in the depths beyond 70 meters, down to the sandy seabed.

Northwest of the Formica Grande is the shoal Zì Paolo, which has a cap of about 6 meters above a seabed of 70. Around the Formica Media are the remains of some ancient amphorae and a small cave at a depth of 62 meters populated by shrimps and forkbeards. The Tuscan Islands Archipelago is wonderful and for this reason very popular especially during the summer season.