Tuscan Archipelago Is Elba, Which Has Beaches, Inlets, Rocky Coastline, Green Hills, Mediterranean Macchia Vegetation, and Woods

TUSCAN - ARCHIPELAGO - INFORMATION

The largest island in the Tuscan Archipelago is Elba, which has beaches, inlets, rocky coastline, green hills, Mediterranean macchia vegetation, and woods. Already mentioned in Greek and Roman times, it was ruled by the Pisans and Genoese, and later formed part of the Principato degli Appiani, the overlords of Piombino. It is perhaps best known for Napoleon Bonaparte’s stay there from 1814 to 1815; together with Pianosa and Palmaiola, Elba constituted for a brief period the small kingdom conceded to Napoleon in return for his abdication. He ruled the island for ten months, initiating a variety of public works, building roads, and developing the mines of Rio and the granite quarries. Important work was also done to provide sources of drinking water. After the fi nal fall of Napoleon, Elba became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and, from 1860 onwards, the Kingdom of Italy. The capital of the island is Portoferraio, which is situated on a natural promontory and has good ferry connections with Piombino, Livorno, and the other islands of the archipelago. It has always made an excellent port, a fact which favoured the early Ligurian and Etruscan settlers. In the medieval period it was a modest-sized town and went by the name of Ferraio; in 1548, it was purchased by Cosimo I who had it totally reconstructed according to a military plan. Forte Stella (later Napoleon’s headquarters), Forte Falcone, and the Bastione e Torre della Linguella were built to defend this important trading port. There are a number of interesting places to visit on the island. There is the Palazzina Napoleonica (also called Palazzina dei Mulini), built a hundred years before Napoleon’s arrival; its external appearance gives no hint of the riches inside, and together with the Villa di San Martino it forms the Museo Nazionale delle Residenze Napoleoniche. Also of interest are the Medici bastions built by Buontalenti. Other small towns in Elba are Rio dell’Elba, Rio Marina, Porto Azzurro, Capoliveri, and Marciana. Since ancient times the island has produced both red and white wine. The smaller islands of the Tuscan Archipelago offer continually changing landscapes of sea and Mediterranean macchia. The northernmost and smallest island is Gorgona, which was settled by the Etruscans, then by the Romans, and over the centuries that followed there were also various monasteries there. Finally, in 1406, following a period of Pisan rule, it came under the control of the Medici who built a fort there. Capraia, which is Roman in origin, is an oval-shaped volcanic island with a high coastline and lots of caves. It is dominated by the Fortezza di San Giorgio, which was erected by the Genoese at the beginning of the 15th century. The island’s dense vegetation includes some extremely rare species and consists essentially of Mediterranean macchia; in the past there also used to be wild goats (hence the island’s name: capra=goat) and seals on the island. Pianosa is the island closest to Elba, so named because it is fl at (piano=fl at) Like Elba, it was under various different dominions until it fell under the control of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In 1858, it became a penal colony. The remains of a luxurious Roman villa, partly submerged beneath the sea, have been found here. Montecristo (originally called Artemisia), 40 kilometres from Elba, consists of a single granite mass rising to three peaks. A Benedictine monastery was founded on the island, but it was abandoned in 1553 after being ransacked by the corsair Dragut. The wealth taken to the mainland gave rise to a legend of treasure buried by the monks, which was inspiration for Alexander Dumas in The Count of Montecristo. Since 1989, Montecristo has been part of the Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago Toscano, and the only form of access is by guided visit. The number of people who can visit the island annually is one thousand. The second-largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, in size and population, is Giglio; it was fi rst inhabited by pre-historic man. The island has a port on the east coast, Giglio Porto, and a small picturesque village called Giglio Castello, which lies around the old fortress and is situated on a hill plunging steeply into the sea. There is also a modern bathing station, Giglio Campese, that has developed by a wide sandy inlet. The southernmost island in the archipelago is Giannutri (part of the council of Giglio), which has low hills and a steep, rocky coastline. To the north there is the remains of a Roman villa dating from the 1st century AC, only part of which can be visited. This island also forms part of the Parco Nazionale dell‘Arcipelago Toscano. At Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano, and on the islands of Giannutri and Giglio, there are old fi shing villages that have been adapted with Tuscan good taste to the requirements of beach holidays. The municipal territory extends for 23,89 square kilometres embracing the entire surface of the is- land, one of the major Toscano archipelagos. Inhabitants in 2000: 850. It has only two centres: Giglio Castello, capital of the Grand Duchy community, and Giglio Porto. The fi rst reliable historic note goes back to the IX century when, because of the so called false certifi cate of Carlo Magno and Leone III, the Isola del Giglio was donated, together with Giannutri, to the Abbey of the Tre Fontane. In the XII and XIII centuries it was subjugated to the Aldobrandeschi Lords, who, between 1339 and 1345, ceded all their possession rights to the Siena republic. In the same era however, the effective dominion of Pisa was affi rmed, Pisa had controlled that stretch of sea since the XI century. At the capitulation of Pisa in 1406, the island passed under the domination of Firenze and stayed with them until 1447, when it was occupied by Alfonso di Aragona, to be then ceded in 1460 to the Piccolomini family. In 1559, in the process of territorial adjustments following the conclusion of the war of Italy, it was sold to Eleonora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo I, and at her death it was incorporated into the Grand Duchy. Above all starting in the XVI century it was the object of repeated pirate raids, so much so that it was several time repopulated, as when for example in 1561 Cosimo I promoted the immigration of a Greek colony. Places to visit: Villa Marittima, ruins of a villa from 1 century B.C | Torre del Lazzaretto, from 1622 | Rocca Pisana, 1300 establishment (there remains only one gate) it was radically restructured during the 1600s | Inside the walls one fi nds the parochial of S. Pietro Apostolo, also from the 1300s and enlarged in the XVIII century. Near to Giglio in the south you can fi nd the second-smallest island of the Tuscan Archipelago Giannutri; the territory extends for 2,60 square kilometres. Inhabitants in 2000: 15. It has only a restaurant in summertime and it’s limitated accessible. The remains of a big Roman villa are always closed, but you can enter in the lattice fence - it’s very nice and dangerous. Morphologically it is characterized by the presence of three mountains: Capel Rosso, Monte Mario and Poggio del Cannone. The coast is rocky, indented and interrupted by two beaches. Cala dello Spalmatoio at N.E. and Cala Maestra at N. W The numerous grottos along the coast are very interesting: the mostfamous is the one of Cala dei Grottoni in the southern point of the Island. The climate is fairly mild in winter as shown by the numerous tropical plants (Euphorbia, wild palms and orchids) and pleasantly windy in Summer The Island called Artemisia by the Greeks and Danium by the Romans had an important role in the 3 rd and 2 nd century b.C. sea traffi cs, as shown by a few objects in obsidian which is a mineral original of Lipari Islands, Sardinia and Palmarola. During the Roman period, Giannutri belonged to the Enobardi family, they built a magnifi cient villa, clothed in esteemed marbles, which ruins represent one of the most important attraction of the Island. Since the Carlovingian age, Giannutri with Giglio and Argentario belonged to the three Fountains Abbey nearby Rome. In the XIII century it was an Aldobrandeschi family property and later an Orsini one, until the XV century when it became part of the Presidi state. Giannutri is one of the most beautiful Islands of the Tuscan Archipelago. Ferry Navalgiglio phone: +39 0564 809 309 ore +39 0566 812 920 (only in summer) ferry boat from Porto Piombino to Elba: in summer semihourly – in wintertime please ask for time ferry boat from Livorno to Elba/ Capraia: only in summer ferry boat from Porto Santo Stefano to Giglio: in summer hourly – in wintertime please ask for time boat from Castiglione della Pescaia to Giannutri/ Capraia: only in summer also look frontpage: http://www.toremar.com/ http://www.mobyline.it/ http://www.maregiglio.it/ http://www.etrurianavigazione.it composited and copyright by: „zuGastbei Irene+Marco“ http://www.toscasa.net/