With crystal blue sea, sand dunes and surrounded by macchia mediterranea or scrub, this stretch of coastline is as nature intended: wild and unspoilt. Marina di Vecchiano forms part of a nature reserve close to Pisa.

Yesterday, acting on a tip from an artisan lamp-maker whose driftwood creations caught my eye at a craft market before Christmas, we arrived at this remote stretch of beach, to find we were not alone. I don’t know why but we assumed remote meant deserted!

It was easy to see why this was the source of the lamp-maker’s supply. Shelters constructed out of driftwood were dotted along the sand, clearly built to last, while huge trunks formed benches for those that had not thought to bring fold-up chairs. I resisted the urge to look for some take-away pieces to add to my own collection, content instead to follow a fisherman along the shore, watching as he cast his net at the water’s edge. I’m not sure what he was hoping to catch but each time he pulled it in, the net was always empty.

We spotted a rooftop poking above the scrub and following a sandy path we came across an osteria that luckily had just two tables free. A plate of spaghetti alle vongole and a glass of fizzy white wine was just the right way to end the morning.