Golf & Country Club Cosmopolitan

The course covers 70 hectares of Mediterranean pinewood, with maritime and stone pines and holm oaks, inside the Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli Park. The architect David Mezzacane redesigned it as a par 72 of 6,291 metres from the championship tees; the other tees measure over 6,000 metres (white), 5,700 (yellow), 5,400 (red) and 5,100 (blue).

Its character is water: ponds and canals dot the layout, together with carefully placed bunkers. The club points to three holes worth remembering: the 5th, a short par 4 whose fairway runs through the corridor between two ponds and demands careful thought; the 6th, a par 3 bordered by water along its entire length; the 15th, a par 5 where water remains the protagonist.

According to the club, the course was voted "New Best Course in Italy" in 1993.

The club is open all year round. The secretary's office is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm and at weekends from 8:30 am to 6 pm; the caddie master is on duty until 6 pm on weekdays and 6:30 pm at weekends. The club also offers a caddie service.

The official website does not publish green fees, handicap requirements or a closing day: to book a tee time and find out the rates, you can call 050 33633 or write to [email protected].

The story begins in the 1930s, when the Pisorno film studios were built in the Tirrenia area: the club describes it as a journey "from Hollywood to the greens". In 1979 the plan for the golf course was approved, and since 2001 the club has been run by Tuscan entrepreneurs.

The clubhouse was designed by Aldo Rossi, a Pritzker Prize winner. Around it you will find a restaurant and bar, a pro shop, a sauna, tennis courts and two swimming pools, one Olympic-size and one semicircular. The resort has 42 apartments and a shuttle to the beach, while the golf academy offers lessons and courses.

• Hollywood in Tirrenia. In the 1930s the area was home to the Pisorno film studios.
• Rossi at the Pompidou. The model of Aldo Rossi's clubhouse is on display at the Paris museum.
• Park wildlife. Herons, porcupines, coypus, foxes, hoopoes and cormorants can be seen among the fairways.
• A par 3 over water. The 6th hole is bordered by water along its entire length.