History and attractions of Elba Island

Source www.italia-ru.com

Despite the fact that the perimeter of the Elbe coastline is only 147 kilometers, the island offers tourists an endless variety of different landscapes: romantic fishing villages, small towns, ancient castles, green valleys and enchanting bays and, of course, beautiful beaches of sand and pebbles.

A brief history of the island of Elba

When we think of Elba, the name Napoleon immediately comes to mind, even though the deposed emperor lived on the island for less than a year.

But the history of the island is not limited by ten months of the French emperor's rule, it goes back to ancient times, from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic period, as evidenced by the findings in the Archaeological Museum of Marčan.

History has decreed that the island of Elba has always been the scene of major events: there is no civilization in the Mediterranean that has not left its traces on the 224 square kilometers of the island, creating its unique character.

According to myth, Jason came here during his search for the Golden Fleece. It was mentioned by Virgil in the Aeneid. The Etruscans, for whom Elba was an inexhaustible source of wealth, also operated here. In the eighth century B.C., the Etruscans extracted iron ore from the island's mines.

After the decline of the Etruscan culture, the Romans inherited the steel industry and also discovered granite and healing mud on the island.

The Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder called Elba the Island of Good Wine. Ships entering the island's port were loaded with amphorae, many of which have been preserved in the archaeological museums of Elba and Marciana.

In the Middle Ages, the island belonged to the maritime Republic of Pisa. In 1548 it was the turn of the Medici dynasty: Cosimo I built the fortress city of Portoferraio, a true gem of military planning.

Immediately afterwards, the Spanish settled in Porto Azzurro and built the imposing fort of San Giacomo.

In the eighteenth century, the Austrians, Germans, British and French fought for Elba until the island became the "full property" of Napoleon Bonaparte, who during his ten months in power did many important things: he built roads, transformed the mining industry, and increased the production and export of wine.

Returning to France, Napoleon left two residences here, which later became the National Museums.

Festivals on Elba Island

Visiting the island of Elba during events, festivals and celebrations will certainly enhance the cultural value of your vacation. You will discover the different places of the island composed of music, dances, tastes, colors and sounds.

If you love sports, you need to get to the island in the spring, during the "Walking Festival". If you are crazy about gastronomic tourism, visit Elba in the autumn when there are gastronomic events such as the wine and chestnut festival. In summer, you'll find a variety of folklore and cultural festivals, from carnival to international music festivals.

May 5 - Napoleonic Festival in Portoferraio

Portoferraio, the town that was Napoleon's home during his 300 days in exile, pays tribute to the emperor each year with a costumed feast. A mass is celebrated in the Church of Mercy in memory of the emperor. Costumed actors from Belgium preside over the mass, where a funeral mask and a cast of the emperor's hand, preserved in a nearby museum, are placed over the sarcophagus.

Then there is a solemn parade through the city streets leading to the villa where Napoleon lived in exile on Elba.

July 14 - Capoliveri - The Legend of the Lover

The Legend of the Lover is a celebration that turns to the year 1534, when the fate of two young lovers was tragically cut short by a Saracen raid. The historical reconstruction was born in the mid-seventeenth century, thanks to Don Domingo Cardenas, an impoverished nobleman of Spanish descent who settled in the place where, according to legend, the girl Maria sacrificed her life to reach the pirate ship that captured her lover of Lorenzo.

Today, the parade travels through the streets of the city until it reaches the beach of del Innamorata, where neighborhood teams compete to win the handkerchief of Maria, hurled into the sea. The winners deliver the shawl to Don Cardenas, who presents it to a girl chosen from the crowd by the winning team.

August 12 - Marciana Marina - St. Chiara's Day

The celebration of St. Chiara's Day is mainly famous for the beautiful fireworks with the music of a concert organized in the town of Marciana Marina. The whole coast is filled every year with people who, accompanied by the town band, take part in a solemn procession to the sea and a magnificent pyrotechnic spectacle.

Grape Festival
(Capoliveri, end of September - begining of October) 

The grape festival in Capoliveri is an event attended by about 5,000 people every year. It is prepared for weeks and the festival takes place in the four districts of Capoliveri with games and competitions. It is one of the best traditional festivals of the island which brings many surprises to the visitors every year. The festival includes costumed performances that reproduce the ancient traditions of the Elba grape harvest.

Elba Isola Musicale d'Europa Jazz Festival
(September, Portoferraio) 

For more than fifteen years, every September this important celebration of classical music and jazz takes place in Portoferraio. As part of the festival, international stars perform in the theaters, cathedrals and fortresses of the island.

The festival is traditionally held at the Teatro dei Vigilanti in Portoferraio, the Pisa Fortress in Marciana, the Cathedral of St. James the Apostle in Portoferraio and the Hotel Hermitage in Biodola.

The president and artistic director of the festival is Maestro Yuri Bashmet. For more information on concert dates and times, please visit the official website: www.elba-music.com.

Chestnut Festival
(Last weekend of October, Poggio, Marciana)

Poggio, located in the province of Marciana, is the ideal place for the Chestnut Festival, a celebration that for thirty years has been taking place in this medieval village. Tents are lined up in Piazza Castagneto, offering a taste of traditional Elba dishes based on chestnuts, such as chestnut flour bread, chestnut cake, cheese, pies, noodles and polenta with chestnuts, in addition to the classic roasted chestnuts and red wine.

New Year in Portoferraio

Fairs, tastings, concerts and spectacular fireworks reflected in the sea water are await those who decide to spend New Year in Portoferraio.

Elba Island Attractions

The island is overflowing with attractions and interesting places to visit that will satisfy every type of curiosity.These include historical, geological, architectural, religious and naturalistic archaeological sites, landscapes, museums, churches and fortresses.

Church of Mercy
(Portoferraio, Salita Napoleone)

The Brotherhood of Mercy was founded by the Rev. Giovanni Medici in 1566. In 1677 a small church was built. It was named in honor of the Brotherhood the Church of Mercy.

This cathedral contains the relics of St. Christine Martyr, the patron saint of Elba. Since 1852, a mass in honor of Napoleon has been celebrated here every May 5. Especially valuable are the organ built in the church in 1792 and the statue of the Madonna and Child created by Tino Camaino, a pupil of Giovanni Pisano. In the neighborhood of the church is a small museum that keeps the sacred relics of the fraternity and items related to Napoleon.

Portoferraio Cathedral
(Portoferraio, P.za della Repubblica)

The construction of the Cathedral of Portoferraio, begun in 1554 and dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The building began at the same time as the building of Villa Medici for Cosimo I in 1548.

The cathedral originally consisted of a single nave, which was enlarged over the centuries. In the French manner, the cathedral began to function as a parish church, and on this occasion the stone high altar was replaced by a marble one.

On May 4, 1814, Mass was celebrated here in the presence of Napoleon Bonaparte, the newly appointed ruler of the Island of Elba.

Sanctuary of the Madonna del Monte
(Marciana)

The church, surrounded by greenery, dates back to the 16th century. The bare walls, the dim light, the silence and the cold air, that prevails in this sanctuary, creates an almost mystical atmosphere. The image of the Blessed Virgin Mary in heaven, painted on a block of granite, probably dates back to the thirteenth century, is kept here.

During the 1995 restoration, frescoes attributed to Sodom were found behind the altar of the church.

From a small spring in front of the church facade, the purest drinking water has been flowing since 1690. Here Napoleon, for a short period in the summer of 1914, hid from the heat in Portoferraio and met, away from prying eyes, with his Polish mistress, Maria Walewska.

Medici ramparts
(Portoferraio, Historical Center)

The Medici ramparts were built by the Grand Duke of Toscana, Cosimo I, to defend against Turkish attacks.

After the completion of Forte Falcone, Forte Stella and the Tower of Linghella, in 1555, Giovanni Camerini began the building of the ramparts of the front of the land, developing them for about 500 meters in a westerly direction under Forte Falcone. After Camerini's death, Bernardo Buontalenti took over the complex.

Organized on four levels, the bastions "del Veneziano", "del Casino di Mezzo", "delle Palle", and "della Cornacchia" and the ramparts represented a strong defense against attacks that could arise from Porta Terra.

Volterraio Castle
(between Portoferraio and Rio Nel Elba)

Volterraio Castle is the oldest fortification on the entire island of Elba. The origin of its name is unclear. It may be derived from the Etruscan word "Vultur" (vulture) or from the name of the territory of Volterra, where the architect Gerardo Rau, who was responsible for the reconstruction of the castle in the thirteenth century, came from.

The original Volterraio Castle of Etruscan origin was enlarged and fortified in 1281 by decree of the State of Pisa, which used the fort for defensive purposes. Subsequently reinforced in 1440, the castle was one of the few strongholds that Elba never surrendered to Turkish pirates.

Acquired by the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago, today the castle is in a decay.

Torre della Marina

The Torre della Marina or the Novaglia Tower is the dominant element in the harbor of Marciana Marina. The not very large structure of cylindrical shape still retains elements that testify to its function of warning and defense of the northern coast of the island of Elba.

It is assumed that the construction of the tower was carried out by Jacopo Appiano VI between 1558 and 1562, after his family regained possession of Elba. It is possible that the Tower was built following the requests of the local, who were seriously suffering from raids and devastation of the Turkish pirate Dragut.

Torre San Giovanni

The Tower of San Giovanni dates back to the twelfth or thirteenth century, when the island of Elba was occupied by the Republic of Pisa, which built a system of fortifications.

The tower seems to arise from a huge granite boulder located on Monte Perone, 300 meters above sea level, with views over the bay of Marina di Campo, at that time one of the bays most prone to possible attacks from the sea. The tower occupied a strategic position for observation and transmission of optical signals. Today you can enjoy a magnificent view from the tower to the bay.

Villa San Martino and Demidoff Gallery
(Portoferraio, San Martino)

Villa San Martino, Napoleon's summer residence, is located in the countryside, about 5 km from Portoferraio. The majestic monument of neoclassical architecture is associated with the name of Count Anatole Demidoff.

The Galerie Demidoff lies at the foot of the original residence, inside you can admire the original sculpture "Galatea" for which Paolina Borghese had posed.

The original Napoleonic residence extends above the galleries. The exterior architecture is decorated very simply, inside there are rooms and halls designed by the architect Bargigli and painted by Vincenzo Antonio Revelli.

Most notable is the Egyptian Room, located on the second floor, containing papyri and wall fragments from the Egyptian campaign, and the Love Knot room, a dining room whose ceiling frescoes symbolize the love between Napoleon and Marie-Louise.

Municipal Archaeological Museum of Marciana
(Marciana, Via del Pretorio, 66)

The Archaeological Museum of Marciana is the first archaeological museum on Elba Island. It was opened in 1968 to hold the artifacts found during excavations all around the island.

The museum's collection consists of many exhibits arranged chronologically. There are elements of stone industries dating back to the Stone Age, Etruscan household items, remains of Roman shipwrecks, sets from the tombs of Monte Capanne and objects and pieces of equipment found aboard shipwrecks in the eighteenth century.

Villa dei Mulini
(Portoferraio, Piazzale Napoleone)

Villa dei Mulini was Napoleon's official residence, today it is a National Museum. On the occasion of the bicentennial of Napoleon's stay in Elba, the Villa was restored.

The Villa dei Mulini was built in 1724 by Grand Duke Giangastone Medici, then it was adapted to Napoleon's needs by architect Paolo Bargigli, who raised its central hall by one floor, forming an original connection between the two buildings.

The original furniture made for Napoleon, brought from Piombino from the residence of his sister Elisa, is now missing. Careful restoration of the residence included the installation of new nineteenth-century imperial-style furniture, which now restores the imperial atmosphere. The villa's library, however, preserves Napoleon's books, which the emperor brought with him from the libraries of Fontainebleau.

The garden of the villa leading to the sea is adorned with two beautiful statues of Minerva, said to be brought from ancient Greece, and a copy of the sculpture of Galatea.

Villa delle Grotte
(Portoferraio, Le Grotte)

Dating back to the first century BC, the Roman Villa delle Grotte is one of the three villas located on the island of Elba that have not undergone building modifications over the centuries.

Abandoned at the end of the first century, it becomes, between 1799 and 1801, a strategic place where artillery batteries were located in the battles between France and the Kingdom of Naples.

The structure of the villa, thanks to excavations carried out between 1960 and 1972, is now well known: the rectangular villa had a swimming pool and three large gardens, one of which is located along the coastline.The windows of the villa were looking onto the bay of Portoferraio.

Scientists do not know who was the original owner of this luxurious villa. The only mention of this complex was found in an elegy by the ancient Roman poet Ovid.