Riva Toscana Golf Resort
A sea-view Maremma resort where contemporary golf meets open coastal light
Riva Toscana Golf Resort offers a more open, modern and coastal interpretation of Tuscany than the region's inland classics. Near Follonica, between olive groves, sea views and broad Maremma light, the championship course builds its identity through exposure, movement and a contemporary resort sensibility that feels bright rather than ceremonial. The golf itself has more substance than a first glance might suggest. Water, elevation shifts and repeated visual tension keep the round engaging, while the seaside setting ensures the experience never feels heavy. What distinguishes Riva Toscana is the clarity of its proposition: this is a stay-and-play address for travelers who want sea, sun, spa and a credible course without stepping into inherited club ritual. It works especially well for long weekends and shoulder-season escapes, when the breezy Maremma atmosphere sharpens the golf and softens everything else. Rather than competing with Tuscany's old aristocratic names, it succeeds by offering a fresher version of the region.
At Riva Toscana it is worth choosing your tee time with the light in mind: the course improves noticeably when sea, wind and elevation begin to speak to each other.
A very coherent coastal Tuscan resort between golf, spa and landscape
A contemporary alternative to the great classic Tuscan addresses
Less historic aura than the iconic Tuscan clubs
More of a destination for a stay than a pure collector's course
Riva Toscana Golf Resort offers a more open, modern and coastal interpretation of Tuscany than the region's inland classics. Near Follonica, between olive groves, sea views and broad Maremma light, the championship course builds its identity through exposure, movement and a contemporary resort sensibility that feels bright rather than ceremonial. The golf itself has more substance than a first glance might suggest. Water, elevation shifts and repeated visual tension keep the round engaging, while the seaside setting ensures the experience never feels heavy. What distinguishes Riva Toscana is the clarity of its proposition: this is a stay-and-play address for travelers who want sea, sun, spa and a credible course without stepping into inherited club ritual. It works especially well for long weekends and shoulder-season escapes, when the breezy Maremma atmosphere sharpens the golf and softens everything else. Rather than competing with Tuscany's old aristocratic names, it succeeds by offering a fresher version of the region.
On the technical side, the course is a links layout of 18 holes playing to a par of 72 with a slope rating of 134. Visitor ratings underline the point: exceptional course quality, breathtaking scenery, excellent value for money.
The best time to visit Riva Toscana Golf Resort is April, May, June, September, October. Among its most appreciated strengths: A very coherent coastal Tuscan resort between golf, spa and landscape; A contemporary alternative to the great classic Tuscan addresses.
The facilities include putting green, driving range, restaurant, pro shop, cart rental, caddy on request. Riva del Sole Resort & Spa (4-star hotel) makes it possible to turn the visit into a full golf stay on the property.
The nearest airport is Firenze Vespucci (FLR), approximately 1 hour by car. At Riva Toscana it is worth choosing your tee time with the light in mind: the course improves noticeably when sea, wind and elevation begin to speak to each other.
What is the best time to play?+
The best time to play is April, May, June, September, October. Outside this window the club may be closed or operating with reduced services.
Is a handicap certificate required?+
Riva Toscana Golf Resort does not specify a mandatory minimum handicap for visiting players. We recommend contacting the club to confirm their current policy.
How do I get to the club?+
The nearest airport is Firenze Vespucci (FLR), approximately 1 hour by car. Car rental is recommended for maximum flexibility.
Is there on-site accommodation?+
Yes, Riva del Sole Resort & Spa (4 stars) is located on the property, allowing guests to enjoy a complete golf stay without travelling elsewhere.
How many holes does the course have, and how challenging is it?+
The course has 18 holes playing to a par of 72 with a slope rating of 134. It is a demanding course best suited to experienced players.
Exclusive Experiences
Secrets found in no guidebook, curated by our concierge.
Follonica — Lungomare all'ora blu
Riva Toscana finds its simplest and most effective counterpoint on the nearby seafront: Follonica offers an easy walk, open light and a lighter side of Maremma, just urban enough not to feel overly staged. It is the coastal dimension that completes the resort without duplicating it.
“Go at blue hour rather than in the middle of the afternoon: the nearby sea gains more nuance, the promenade empties and Follonica recovers a less beach-town, more Maremma kind of grace.”
Maremma costiera — Olio, ulivi e bianchi vicini al mare
The olive trees framing the course find natural continuation in a post-round ritual of new olive oil, warm bread and coastal Maremma whites. It is a simple gastronomic key but a highly coherent one, because it speaks the same language as the landscape: sun, wind and clean materiality.
“Choose something essential and local, ideally at a small estate: at Riva Toscana, the coherence between olive groves, sea and table matters far more than any gourmet staging.”
Cala Violina — Sentiero e spiaggia fuori stagione piena
In the shoulder seasons, the coast near Riva Toscana provides one of the area's most satisfying post-round escapes: pale sand, pine woods, the approach path and finally a sea without pressure. Cala Violina works far better when it is not treated as a summer checklist destination.
“It works best in spring or early autumn and never in the central part of the day: that is when Riva Toscana's seaside side stops feeling like a postcard and becomes a real experience.”
Ristorante Bracali — Cucina d'altura in collina
In Ghirlanda, a hamlet almost invisible above Massa Marittima, the Bracali brothers hold two Michelin stars with rare restraint: no ostentation, just technique and territory pushed to their edge. Dishes play with Maremma minerals, the bitter herbs of the mining hills, the Tyrrhenian fish just below. The dining room is small, the light low, the silence nearly liturgical.
“Book the table by the window overlooking the mining hills — the landscape enters the plate visually as well.”
Lago dell'Accesa — Acqua ferma e rovine sommerse
A karst lake that mirrors the scrubland like a scorched mirror, surrounded by the remains of a 7th-century BC Etruscan settlement — tombs, walls, silences. Almost no one comes outside summer, and even in August the path along the north shore stays empty. The water is cold and transparent, the bottom of green algae like silk.
“Come down to the lake at dawn in September: mist rises off the water and the ruins emerge as if from a dream.”
Vetulonia — Borgo etrusco sospeso sulla pianura
Vetulonia was one of the twelve cities of the Etruscan League, powerful enough to bequeath Rome the fasces and the curule throne. Today it's a village of a few hundred souls perched on a hill overlooking the drained lagoon, with a necropolis still legible in the tumuli rising from the olive groves. The Museo Civico holds gold and bronzes that no school textbook has ever properly described.
“Ask the museum to open the storage room of unehibited finds — they often will, and inside there is more history than in many major national collections.”
Museo Archeologico e d'Arte della Maremma — Etruschi e pittura senese sotto lo stesso tetto
In the medieval heart of Grosseto, this museum gathers millennia of Maremma history: finely worked Etruscan bronzes share space with Sienese altarpieces from the 14th and 15th centuries. The rooms are quiet, rarely crowded, and allow an unmediated encounter with works that elsewhere would be locked in storage. It's the kind of place that reveals how many civilisations this land has quietly layered over one another.
“Seek out Sassetta's Madonna and Child in the Sienese room — one of the most overlooked masterpieces in all of southern Tuscany.”
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