Swimming in pristine waters
Elba is a small island located in the Tuscan archipelago.
It is not as famous as Sicily or Sardinia, but it is equally magnificent.
It is lapped by pristine turquoise waters perfect for swimming during the summer.
Our Elba vacation home is near Schiopparello beach: a long stretch of coastline within the bay of Portoferraio, characterized by fine, gray sand and pristine, transparent waters.
All around, Mediterranean scrub, particularly tamarisk and pine trees, frames this enchanting beauty.
Not far away is also the Norsi beach: a bay frequented mostly by locals with whom you can chat and tell stories.
The beach is pebbly with colors ranging from gray to the clear blue of the sea.
Avoid the crowd
Being a place off the beaten path has its (many) advantages.
One of them is the lack of tourists.
Elba is not a typical tourist destination, so you won’t find hordes of people or lines and crowds like on other Mediterranean islands.
Elba is mostly frequented by Tuscans, and if you want to avoid them as well, book a trip in spring or early fall to enjoy the silence.
Eat excellent seafood gastronomy
Being an island, Elba has several seafood restaurants.
Every morning fishermen go offshore and fish all day.
Then, in the late afternoon, they bring the catch to the islands’ restaurants.
Don’t forget to order mussels marinara, linguine allo scoglio, and grilled squid.
It is the perfect place for sportsmen
Sportsmen should know that Elba is an ideal destination for them as well.
They will find perfect places for diving, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and trekking.
Lazier visitors can spend their days relaxing on the beaches.
In particular, diving on Elba is one of the most beautiful things you can do; the water is among the cleanest in Italy and you can even snorkel to admire the colors, fish and natural views underwater.
One of the best places to dive is the Formiche della Zanca archipelago off Elba, where caves and hollows provide a rare and colorful spectacle of Mediterranean flora and fauna.
Visit an ideal city of the Medici
Like many other places in Tuscany, Elba has been linked to the Medici family.
Cosimo de’ Medici envisioned a city, Cosmopoli, dedicated to him; it was founded by architects Giovanni Camerini and Bernardo Buontalenti.
A sign of Medici rule is still visible today in Forte Falcone, an imposing fortress in Porto Ferraio that seems to welcome those about to set foot on the island.
Portoferraio and Napoleon
Portoferraio: Capital of Elba and the largest town, the arrival point for most ferries from Piombino.
Home to Napoleon during his exile, it boasts a rich and interesting history.
The town has a huge medieval fortress on the waterfront, Fort Falcone, a colorful old town and Roman ruins.
Worth visiting are the Napoleon National Museum, which tells the story of the emperor during his exile on the island, and the Giardino dei Semplici, a botanical garden housing a wide variety of plants and flowers.
For its ancient history: Napoleon reget
Few people know thatElba is linked to Napoleon.
He was a very important figure for the island, which still celebrates him and preserves his major works, such as villas, theaters, museums and houses.
One of the best examples of this is Villa dei Mulini, an old Medici villa renovated and redesigned by Napoleon.
In addition to Napoleon, Alexandre Dumas was also on Elba in the mid-19th century; theisland of Montecristo is just off Elba-visible but, because it is a nature reserve, not visitable.
Paul Klee was also there, drawing, and, in 1947, Dylan Thomas landed in the Rio Marina mining area who called Elba the most beautiful island in the Mediterranean.
The Mines
Elba is extremely rich in iron, and its mines are renowned.
A visit to the Calamita mines in Capoliveri.
The history of these mines goes back thousands of years, from Etruscan times to 1980, when they were closed.
Iron has always been the town’s main resource and has made the island a central point on Mediterranean trade routes.
A descent into the Ginevro mine: it is the only underground mine on the island still accessible.
To admire fantastic sunsets
One of the most romantic things you can do on Elba Island is watch the sunset with your partner.
The island offers spectacular views of the Tyrrhenian Sea, especially in the summer months when the sky is colored in shades of red, orange and yellow.