Travel Eye on Elba (Italy)

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Overview:

In spite of Napoleon Bonaparte's brief exile here before he met his Waterloo, this small mountainous island remains one of Italy's best kept secrets. An hour's ferry ride from the mainland, and with only a tiny local airport unsuitable for jets, mass international tourism has never gained a foothold and is unlikely to do so. Portoferraio is the main town and principal point of entry, with a fortified old town occupying a small headland that guards the harbour. With a small waterfront lined with commercial buildings and some bars, the town is predominantly residential. The principal tourist haunts have developed around the small seaside villages of Procchio and Marciana Marina on the N coast and Marina di Campo in the S.

Locality:

Elba is located 7 mls off the W coast of Tuscany, an hour's ferry ride from the port of Piombino; less by hydrofoil. 32 mls from the NE coast of Corsica. It is the largest and most central island in the Tuscan Archipelago, surrounded by the clear waters of the Tyrrhenian sea between the mainland peninsula and the French island of Corsica. It is dominated by mountainous regions at its E and W ends.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

The area is almost exclusively middle to upmarket Italians during July and August, with a small contingent of discerning Germans accompanied by a few Swiss. Many wealthy Italians have summer residences in the hills. Very few British. The clear waters make Elba a favourite among divers and snorkellers.

The main hotels here are dotted in penny packets across the central, N and S coasts, augmented by simple family-run pensions, B&Bs and apartments.

The verdant coastline is littered with small, picturesque rocky coves and some fine sandy bays nestling beneath rugged hills. Some properties have their own reserved sections that are scrupulously maintained and furnished with ranks of sun loungers, deck chairs and colourful parasols. Varied water sports include windsurfing, sailing and water-skiing depending on where you are based.

Each local village has its own handful of unsophisticated tourist-orientated merchandise, with purveyors of fine jewellery and designer fashions remaining on the mainland.

Activities and entertainment are very much centred around the beach and various water-sports. Numerous hilltop fortifications and several ancient villas purporting to have been Napoleon's former residence during his year-long exile. Nightlife is generally low-key except during July & August. One or two nightspots and bars are open until the small hours in the principal villages, but be prepared to rely on motorised transport if staying at outlying hotels.

Various boat trips and other excursions can be taken around the coast and to uninspiring mainland port of Piombino. Choice of historic hillside fortifications, ancient churches and Napoleonic residences such a Palazzina de Mulini and Villa di San Martino.