Discover 15 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Elba (Italy). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Forte Focardo, Portoferraio Lighthouse, and Monte Calamita. Also, be sure to include Forte Falcone in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Elba (Tuscany).
Table of Contents
Forte Focardo
Capo Focardo Lighthouse is an active lighthouse located at the south eastern tip of the gulf of Porto Azzurro on the island of Elba in the Tuscan Archipelago.[1]
Portoferraio Lighthouse
Also known as: Faro di Portoferraio
Lighthouse in Portoferraio, Italy. Portoferraio lighthouse, called Faro del Forte Stella Lighthouse since is placed on the northern rampart of Forte Stella built in 1548 by Cosimo I de' Medici in Portoferraio, Elba.[2]
Monte Calamita
Calamita is a large hill lying on the south-east side of the island of Elba, known for a remarkable landscape and views of Portoferraio and Monte Capanne. The hill's development dates from Elba's ancient periods, when Calamita was a major iron mining center.
The Calamita's coast has been nicknamed "Costa dei Gabbiani" ("Skua Coast"), after the numerous skuas which nest in the cliffs.
The town of Capoliveri sits on the north side of Calamita, overlooking the Mola flats.
The southeast area of the hill is dotted with farmland, though much of it has been converted into tourist resorts and villas.
On the south side is the Calamita iron mine, abandoned since 1981, where pyrite nuggets can still be found.[3]
Forte Falcone
Fort Falcone is a coastal fortification located in Portoferraio, on the island of Elba. Its location is just west of Fort Stella, in a dominant position on a promontory overlooking the entire harbor roadstead from the north.
Forte Stella
Fort Stella is a coastal fortification located in Portoferraio, on the island of Elba. Its location is in a dominant position on a promontory overlooking the entire harbor roadstead from the north.
The imposing fortified complex was built in 1548, designed by Giovanni Camerini and Giovan Battista Belluzzi, to carry out sighting and defense functions as part of the massive defensive system, wanted by the Medici, that characterized the Elban town and consisted of the set of various fortified structures that, in fact, made the place impregnable. The complex continued to perform the original functions for which it was used until relatively recent times.
Fort Stella appears as an imposing fortified structure that is articulated on a star-shaped plan, on the whole referable to an irregular polygon. Externally, the entire complex is encircled by a series of brick-clad curtain walls that rest on mighty scarp plinths and were originally further protected by a series of moats that bounded them externally. The entire complex is adapted to the steep orography of the promontory on which it is situated and has numerous passageways and underground rooms, which in the past could have been used as emergency shelters in case of enemy attack from the sea. At the apexes of the fortress stand the five angular bastions, which have also preserved part of the original sentry boxes; at the northeastern apex is also the historic lighthouse of Portoferraio, with a circular plan, which was built by the Lorraines in 1788 in order to signal the presence of the promontory in front of the harbor at night.
Various buildings stand within the fortified complex, which formerly housed the powder magazine, armory, storage warehouses, garrison quarters and a hospital garrison; a chapel was also built among them as a place of prayer for the sentries who served at the fort.
Chiesa di San Crispino
The church of San Cristino, also known as the Church of Mercy, is a sacred building located in Portoferraio.
Romitorio di San Cerbone
The hermitage of San Cerbone is a sacred building located on the island of Elba, on Crino delle Puntate, halfway between the towns of Marciana and Poggio.
Propositura della Natività di Maria
The propositura of the Nativity of Mary is a sacred building located in Piazza della Repubblica in Portoferraio.
Address: Piazza della Repubblica, 34, 57037 Portoferraio
Faro di Monte Poro
Monte Poro Lighthouse is an active lighthouse located on the summit of Monte Poro, in the south western part of Elba on the Tyrrhenian Sea, a region covered by Macchia Mediterranea. The place was of some strategic interest during World War II because close to the lighthouse are the ruins of a German position.[4]
Torre del Martello
The Linguella Tower, also known as the Martello Tower, is a coastal tower located in Portoferraio, on the island of Elba. Its location is at the northern end of the roadstead.
Torre di San Giovanni
The tower of San Giovanni is a garrison tower located at Morota in the municipality of Campo nell'Elba on the island of Elba. The tower is close to the parish church of San Giovanni, from which it takes its name, and is strategically placed on a monzogranitic spur.
Monte Corto
Mount Corto is a mountain of the island of Elba.
Pieve di San Giovanni in Campo
The parish church of San Giovanni in Campo is a sacred building in the Pisan Romanesque style located in the locality of Morota in the municipality of Campo nell'Elba.
Monte Tiratoio
The tirataio mountain is a mountain of the island of Elba.
Le Calanche
Le Calanche is the name of a mountain on the island of Elba, site of a Bronze Age settlement, the highest on the island.
From the Calanques begins the via ferrata of Mt. Huts.