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Strolling through the magnificent historic centers of the island towns, but also going to discover the wilderness and mining centers. Fishermen, miners, sailors and artisans: many are the activities that have characterized the lives of islanders and that today distinguish the island’s small towns, all of which are easily accessible from the 6 ports that serve the island.
Reaching it from the sea, the town considered the island’s capital immediately shows its beauty made up of Medici towers, Renaissance fortresses, pastel-colored houses and from the old port with its perfect horseshoe shape. The shore tour starts from the ancient Linguella Tower: dating back to the 16th century, it dominates the eastern part of the old port.
From here we move to Piazza della Repubblica, where we can admire the 16th-century cathedral and the Palazzo del Municipio, built by Cosimo I in 1562.
A few more steps and you are plunged into the old and most fortified part of Portoferraio, the part that has its main axis in Napoleon’s Staircase. It is an uphill road made of cobblestones and from which a maze of quaint streets and alleys unfolds. Just by walking down the Steps you reach what was once Napoleon’s house and is also known by the name Palazzina dei Mulini.
Here the emperor lived for 10 months before fleeing to his military defeat and final exile on the tiny African island of St. Helena.
Past the Palazzina one faces the scenic building of Fort Stella, a fortress that dominates the village bay from above. Those who had meanwhile become interested in the Bonaparte’s history should then also reach the locality of San Martino, located 5 from the center of Portoferraio and near the anchorages of Biodola and Viticcio. Indeed, it is here that Napoleon’s Villa, or the country residence in which the exiled emperor spent most of his time, is located. Now converted into a museum, it houses rarities and mementos from Napoleon’s sojourn, the highlight of which is a statue attributed to Canova depicting Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon’s sister.
Also in the vicinity of Portoferraio, in Bagnaia, are the Caves of San Giovanni, which include the ruins of a Roman villa with its ingenious water heating and purification systems.
It is the smallest of the municipalities on the island of Elba and the place where the leudi, small Ligurian ships that came here to load the excellent wine produced in the inland hills, once landed. Among the most interesting spots is certainly the Cotone district, located at the end of Marciana Marina opposite the Saracen Tower on the harbor. For centuries considered the fishermen’s quarter, many of Neapolitan and Ligurian origin, it is perched between the hills and the sea and made up of old houses faded by salt spray, outdoor stairways overhanging the sea, and a slipway used to launch the area’s typical boats, the sciapichelli.
Instead, just five kilometers from Marciana, surrounded by chestnut and oak forests, is the village of Il Poggio, a charming fortified village perched on the slopes of Mount Capanne. It was founded in the 7th century and is characterized by cobblestone alleys.
Also unique is the charm of Marciana Alta, a town located at 380 meters above sea level and a short distance from the sea and Mount Capanne, a peak that at 1,018 meters dominates all other heights on the island and can be reached by cable car. The town is one of the oldest and retains the charm of a medieval village with narrow alleys, small squares with fountains, narrow streets paved with Elban stone, and granite portals.
Visit the church of St. Catherine, the Praetorian Palace with an archaeological museum and the Fortress erected in the 12th century by the Pisans.
Leaving behind the resort dedicated to the needs of summer vacationers, one must go inland. It is here, lying on a hill on the slopes of Mount Perone, that the 12th-century village of Sant’Ilario in Campo is discovered.
On the other side of the same peak, however, is the village of San Piero in Campo, which overlooks the Campo plain and the Gulf of Marina. Roman in origin but medieval in appearance, it is characterized by narrow streets, steep granite steps, old portals and galleries.
Incorporated into the village’s Pisan Fortress is the Romanesque church of St. Peter and Paul, while from the Pietra Murata viewpoint on fine days you can see Pianosa and Montecristo.
It has been called Porto Azzurro only since 1947; before that-and as far back as 1603-it was Porto Longone instead. Village of Spanish origin has a picturesque center consisting of narrow streets that converge in the large square overlooking the waterfront. The traces of Iberian domination are evident in Fort San Giacomo, which dominates the town, facing the other fortress of Fort Focardo: these are constructions built in the seventeenth century to make the bay of Porto Azzurro unapproachable by enemy ships. Today Fort Focardo is home to the Porto Azzurro prison and cannot be visited.
Worth seeing is the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary dating back to the 1700s. Landed in Porto Azzurro or anchored in the gulfs of the adjacent coast, a visit to Capoliveri should not be missed. Perched more than 150 meters above the gulf of Porto Azzurro, it consists of a maze of narrow alleys, stairways, granite vaults and small houses with colors faded by time and the saltiness of the sea. Founded by the Etruscans, it was dominated by the Romans and the Pisans, who made it the strategic center of trade in iron, a metal that was the island’s “treasure.”
Finally, just outside Capoliveri is the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie, which houses paintings of the Raphaelite school inside.
There is an air of mining in the village of Rio Marina: now a well-known tourist resort, the village once housed miners. To better understand their daily life, one must visit the Elba Island Mining Park, which includes the 18th-century mining management building.
Also fascinating are the construction sites, above all the jewel of industrial archaeology at Laveria. Nearby Rio nell’Elba, perched along a slope 170 meters above sea level, is another of the island’s delightful towns with a mining tradition.
In the center of the fortified citadel is the Church of Saints John and Quirico, built between the 14th and 15th centuries. Notable, in addition to the Baroque decorations, are the preserved paintings.
For those who feel like taking a walk, the imposing fortress of the Volterrario Castle can be reached in the vicinity of Rio. Perched on a cliff 380 meters above sea level, it dominates the bay of Portoferraio.
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