Elba is a marvellous green island in the Tuscan Archipelago where sea, mountains and hills coexist in perfect harmony. There more than a hundred beaches, of which around 80 are relatively easy to get to. There is a 1,000 metre mountain called Monte Capanne and there are many other great places to discover and explore.
Here are the 10 things that we suggest you can’t miss on the Isle of Elba!
This gulf will astound you with its variety of different landscapes and little beaches. Even in August it is not a very touristic area and you mostly find people from Portoferraio who are getting away from the more crowded beaches which are more famous. The shape of the gulf allows you to admire the mountains, hills, coves, the little island of Sant’Andrea, Volterraio castle and some of the oldest houses on the island. You can have a coffee in the tiny port of Magazzini, swim in the shallow waters of the Prade, enjoy Ottonella beach with its friendly little bar or have an aperitif on the beach at Bagnaia before dinner. Or maybe take a little boat round the whole gulf ending up back in the middle. The views will be amazing!
It’s one of the best swims that you can have on the island. The little triangular area around the rock is the only area which has total biological protection so fishing is prohibited and thus it is full of fish and is a paradise for divers. Just swimming on the surface with a mask you will find yourself surrounded by fish - it’s like being in an aquarium! As it is an island, you have to go there by boat but it’s really near Portoferraio, just outside the gulf. At the top of the rock is a magnificent lighthouse which was built in 1910 by the Regia Marina and was restored just after the war.
If you park your car half way up the hill and start walking, in 20 minutes you will get to the top. It’s best to go at sunset, let yourself be rewarded for the effort of getting there by the breathtaking view that will open up in front of you: the fabulous Gulf of Portoferraio in all its majesty with the sun sinking into the sea and the island of Capraia in the distance. A bit of advice: take an aperitif with you!
Portoferraio is the main town of the island of Elba and it looks out onto the extraordinary gulf which gets its name from the town. It is thanks to Cosimo I dei Medici that it has such a fortified Renaissance look. In 1548 he commissioned the architect Giovanni Battista Bellucci to build the Medici fortifications: Forte Falcone, Forte Stella and Torre della Linguella at the entrance to the dock. In 1814, Napoleon, as soon as he arrived in exile on the island, chose Palazzina dei Mulini (now the National Museum) as his official residence. In the northern part of the city you will find the beautiful white pebble beaches of Ghiaie, Capo Bianco and Padulella.
If you hold your head with the water just up to your nose, you can dip under the outer wall of this cliff and you will find yourself in a small grotto which opens up to the sky like an upside down funnel. The rays of the sun (particularly in the late morning) filter down and colour everything around you an intense turquoise. Just a bit further on you will find an amazing little beach! When the sea is rough, particularly in the winter, the surge of the waves pushes the water right up to the opening of the grotto causing foam to spurt out in a “sbruffo” from the which the grotto takes its name. The Grotta della Sbruffo is about 500 metres from Enfola beach (15 minutes by pedal boat) but it is easily reached from Portoferraio by boat or rubber dinghy in just 20 minutes.
Just 4 km from his house in Portoferraio is Napoleon’s summer residence, Villa di San Martino. Napoleon bought this property as soon as he arrived on the island with the intention of turning it into a comfortable and refined home, a villa comparable with his Parisian residences. He only stayed on the island for 10 months working non stop and he probably never had time to relax during the summer but his residence must be seen!
The cucina povera (real country food which is excellent!) is a bit difficult to find on the island now. If you are lucky and like looking ‘out of the box’ you should be able to find some excellent cacciucchi (fish soups), various octopus dishes, stoccafisso (salt cod - ‘alla Riese’ is renowned), whelks and the delicious schiaccia elbana (a kind of soft white pizza). Also the meat, maybe not in the summer months, can be great: Elban wild boar, for example. A typical and well-known cake is the Torta Briaca, but, I must say, it’s not easy to find the good ones made with the right ingredients.
Happy tasting! Whites: Ansonica, Vermentino, Procanico and Malvasia are the most common (often in the blend know as “Elba Bianco”). The most typical red variety is Sangiovese. Then there is Aleatico from which the famous dessert wine is made using sun-dried grapes. This last is delicious at the end of a meal maybe with some biscotti: cantucci toscani.
On the northern part of the coast behind Portoferraio you will find many beaches with wonderful white pebbles - turquoise, emerald and every shade of blue. To name a few: Capo Bianco, Sansone, La Sorgente, Sottobomba. Without forgetting Viticcio, made of grey stone, a tiny cove which is a delight out of season!
and here we are! This historical villa built at the beginning of the 19th Century is one of the most beautiful houses on the island. From this strategic and fascinating position you can enjoy the best of the island to the full, feeling totally at home on a holiday where time stands still. The sea is just 3 steps down from the house. From the villa’s terrace on the sea you will be able to enjoy an amazing view of the whole of the Gulf of Portoferraio, the town itself which is just across the water, Volterraio Castle, Scoglietto island with its lighthouse. You will get a strong feeling of history at the villa which is where Napoleon first put foot before making his official entrance into Portoferraio and you will be able to discover new beaches on the island either by boat or by car. And, in the end, there is nothing better than relaxing while tasting the best local wines on the terrace of the villa, immersed in the sound of the sea, the blush of the sunsets and time, which here has stopped.