Elba Island App, your holidays on the Elba Island
The digital tourist guide of Elba
Elba Island, the third Italian island and the biggest of the Tuscan islands. Famous for its crystal clear sea, its beaches and for its territory rich in history.
Among the places with the widest offer of accommodation and tourist rentals on the Tuscan coast, the Elba Island is strong in its tradition and hospitality, thus confirming itself as one of the most famous seaside tourist destinations in Italy.
The hotels are the main choice for those who choose Elba as a destination for their summer holidays. However, residences and camping sites are also becoming increasingly popular, as a cheaper accommodation solution,but also to be structures capable of offering advice and experiences.
Those who prefer the independence of an apartment will have no difficulty finding one suitable for their needs, whether they are apartments close to the sea or within the centers of towns and close to services.
Villas and old farmhouses, luxurious 5-star hotels, full of history, offer larger spaces in which to enjoy a high-level stay.
We will help you organize a unique holiday and the most suitable places for you, where you can enjoy nature, admire fantastic views, unforgettable sunsets, concerts and events on the sea and enjoy the immense charm of the main island of the Tuscan archipelago.
Portoferraio, the capital of the Island, is the main and most populated town on the island. Here Cosimo dei Medici built an impregnable defense fortress making it one of the most important coastal cities in the Mediterranean area.
After passing the promenade that runs alongside the Medici walls, you enter the fortress where the various streets of the historic center branch off, do not miss the Villa dei Mulini, home of Napoleon Bonaparte during his period of exile on the Island.
Before the Medici domination, Portoferraio had undergone several conquests; the Roman one from which the remains of the Roman Villa delle Grotte and the Villa della Linguella come, the French one, with the famous exile of the Emperor Napoleon which lasted 9 months and left two luxurious villas, the first one in the historic center called Villa dei Mulini, used as residence of the Emperor, the second one, Villa di S.Martino,placed 2 km from the center of Portoferraio, today among the most visited museums in all of Tuscany, second only to the Uffizi in Florence.
Another imposing fortress of Elba, the first to be built on the island and the only one to have never been conquered is the Volterraio Castle, reachable via a dirt path that starts from the road called precisely "del Volterraio" that connects Portoferraio with the municipality of Rio nell'Elba, built around the year 1000 AD, offers a wonderful view of the eastern side of the Island and the gulf of Portoferraio, an excellent romantic and panoramic point that in recent years has been completely restored.
Another town in the center of the eastern side of the island is Porto Azzurro, rich in evidence of its Spanish dominion, the most important is certainly the Forte S.Giacomo, built in the seventeenth century, now used as a penitentiary structure and can only be visited externally.
Two kilometers from the historic center of Porto Azzurro is the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Monserrato, built inside a valley, inspired by the famous sanctuary of Catalonia, near Barcelona. Inside the Sanctuary, there is the Black Madonna, a copy of the painting present in the Spanish sanctuary, it can be visited in the summer.
The center of Porto Azzurro, nicknamed the lounge of the Island of Elba, is composed of a large square and a pretty promenade, surrounded by shops and restaurants overlooking the marina.
Another very famous and popular town on the Island, is Capoliveri, consisting of a small historic center located on a hill, with a small square that can be called a terrace overlooking the sea, from which many characteristic alleys branch off. In summer there are many events held to entertain tourists.The most important in recent years have been the Festival Bar, Lucio Dalla, Irene Grandi, Patti Bravo, Luca Carboni, Il Volo, radio 105, the new trolls, and many other.
The craft shops and bars located throughout the historic center make the town of Capoliveri one of the Villages with the most nightlife on the Elba Island. A few km from the center we find Monte Calamita, rich in mineral deposits and famous for mountain bike excursions and events such as the Capoliveri Legend Cup, a Gran Fondo race that is becoming one of the most important events in Italy.
Moving to the north east side of the island we find the town of Rio Marina, its history has been linked above all to the extraction of iron, even today, despite the economy being mainly tourist, the remains of the quarries and the mineral dust can be seen in many of its beaches and in the facades of the buildings in the historic center.
In Rio Marina, is possible to visit the Mining Park, reconstruction of the old mines including a characteristic red pond due to the remains of iron oxide released into the ground by the waste of the extractions. Continuing the road to the north we find the hamlet of Cavo, a small tourist center consisting of a long beach and a beautiful promenade completely modernized and renovated for a few years.
The hamlet is served by the fast-boat service all year round and by a ferry of the Moby / Toremar company in the summer that allows a cheaper and shorter route (about 40 minutes) given its proximity to the Tuscan coast.
Going up from the town of Rio Marina we find Rio nell'Elba, a small medieval center historically famous for its mainly mining economic development, the historic center is composed of a small square from which narrow alleys built in stone and granite depart. To visit the public wash-houses of Rio nell'Elba, the hermitage of S.Caterina with the adjacent Orto dei semplici.
Moving south on the western side of the Island, we find the town of Marina di Campo, among the main tourist centers of Elba, historically a village of fishermen and farmers that with the economic boom of the 60s has transformed its economy into famous tourist destination, with its strength the huge beach, the largest on the Island of Elba, more than 1 km long, partly free and partly equipped, which runs along the whole town. Its promenade full of restaurants, bars and clubs lends itself to splendid evening walks.
You can visit the Aquarium of Elba, among the largest Mediterranean aquariums in the world, with its 80 tanks completely renovated and particularly suitable for families with children, famous for hosting the Octopus Paul, the famous octopus to guess the results of the matches of the 2010 World Cup.
Moving away from the center of Marina di Campo we find the hamlet of S.Piero, a small center famous for the extraction of high quality Elba granite composed of small alleys and narrow alleys all completely covered with the characteristic granite.
A few minutes from the center of Marina di Campo there is also the small center of S. Ilario, the oldest and best preserved of the island, consisting of a central square from which the small streets branch off.
Moving on the northern coast we find Marciana Marina, the town is developed in front of one of the most extensive and beautiful promenades of the Island with a frame composed of a vast equipped and complete tourist harbor with all the services, which makes Marciana marina an ideal destination both for families looking for a relaxing beach holiday and for young people looking for a more lively holiday.
The most famous monument in Marciana Marina,is the tower which watches over the harbor, the Appiani tower, built before the 15th century and which served as a watchtower.
Leaving Marciana Marina and heading towards Procchio you can admire the Paolina Island, a small rock preferred for holidays by the sister of Emperor Napoleon. Arrived at the small hamlet of Procchio we find ourselves in front of one of the most beautiful beaches of the island, composed of fine and golden sand.
On the slopes of Mount Capanne we find the inhabited center of Marciana, among the most ancient and rich in historical remains of the Island, the center is composed of small and narrow streets passable only on foot, in Marciana there is the only cableway which allows to reach the highest peak of the Island at 1019 meters above sea level.
Download Elba Island App, free Apple and Android application
Enough with the paper tourist guides of the Elba Island, always bring our "Elba App" application to your apple and android smartphone. Search and download it for free from the google play store or from the Apple app store.
Tourist Guide of Elba, the main island of the Tuscan Archipelago.
This guide includes a lot of information:
Maps of the Island including the beaches and parking lots.
Transport information, how to get to Elba and how to move around the island
Hotel, Residence, Apartments and Camping where to stay.
The best restaurants and pizzerias to eat
All commercial activities, bars, restaurants, pizzerias, ice cream parlors, diving.
Useful services to make the most of your holiday on Elba
Useful numbers
Attractions and Places to Visit
The maps function is very useful with the use of the smartphone GPS.
Born from the evolution of Porto Azzurro App, in the next updates many more beaches and points of interest
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