ISLAND OF ELBA

It is possibile to discover the island through its vast naturalistic heritage, with mountains riches of age-old chestnuts, its tangled and fragrant Mediterranean maquis, its wild coasts crowed with herring gulls, its beautiful varied beaches. At the same time it is possible to identify the exceptional historical stratification of Elba through its Etruscan and Roman ruins, its Pisan towers and Medicean fortresses, its Medieval villages and the cosy Romanesque churches.

Since ancient times, thanks to its mineral wealth and its fortunate strategic position in the Mediterranean Sea, Elba has always been important for the great European Powers. First The Etruscans, then the Romans worked the inexhaustible iron mines building for themselves sumptuous villas to enjoy the nice climate and the curative mud baths.

In the middle - age it was dominated by the Pisans and later there was the presence of the dynasty of Appiani. But it was in the period of Cosimo de' Medici that Elba assumed a strategic and important role in the Mediterranean Sea. Cosimo 1° de' Medici realized the town of Cosmopoli (now called Portoferraio) with the powerful walls of Forte Falcone and Forte Stella.

At the same time the Spaniards settled in Porto Azzurro (once called Porto Longone), where they built Forte San Giacomo. However the most famous historical period is the short reign of the Emperor Napoleon, who left many marks of his presence in the island and made build two residences where he lived: Palazzina Napoleonica dei Mulini and Villa of San Martino.

Napoleon landed at Portoferraio on the 3°of may 1814 and so the village became the capital of his small reign attracting the interest of the whole Europe. But Napoleon's stay was very short because on the 26 of February 1815, thanks to the absence of the English guard, he escaped from the island for undertaking the fateful enterprise of "one hundred days".

Another important factor in the history and in the economy of Elba were the iron mines concentrated on the west coast of the island, exploited incessantly for over three thousand years.

In conclusion Elba can be visited in accordance with different inclinations: enjoying its sand and stone beaches during the day and planning divings in the clear waters of the island, or discovering the nice villages along the coasts or in the interland during the nights.

THE BEACHES OF ELBA ISLAND