Get in
Go by ferry -- taking your car, as it a must to explore the entire island.
The ships start from Piombino.
Get around
Bring a rental car with you on the Ferry as the island is fairly large and mass transit ( don't think I saw any???) won't get you to all the old hilltop towns or up the winding roads.
See
Napoleon was banished to the island and both of his homes ( summer & winter ) are available to tour. You can hike,bicycle, swim or walk around the plaza at night with the locals. Incredible beauty - many,many small towns set on hilltops. Many castles. Flowers galore and the interior is full of old, little viewed churches.
Do
Napoleon's homes, bike, go to any one of 10 -12 beaches, drink some local wine, hike, visit as many old castles,churches as you can. Takes about 3 days to see the island and that still leaves many areas untouched. Was told several times by the locals that in the summer Elba becomes a day-tripper's nightmare with people from the mainland. Visited in late May - slightly cool at night.
Buy
Sorry or glad to say that shopping isn't what you might expect but the island is for experiencing. Some local wines.
Eat
Seafood is fresh ( it is an island) and the bread is what you were dreaming about. Get the Italian version of steak and try the bread and tomato salad.
Drink
Some local wines and water is great tasting.
Get out
Noticed that you can still get a bite to eat at almost time in the larger towns.
:For other places with the same name, see Elba (disambiguation).
Elba (Ilva) is an island in Tuscany, Italy, 20 km (or 12 miles) from the coastal town of Piombino (). It is the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia. Elba and the other islands (Gorgona, Capraia, Pianosa, Montecristo, Giglio and Giannutri) of the Tuscan Archipelago are protected in the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago. The French island of Corsica lies about 35 km to the west. In Italian it is called Isola d'Elba.
The island is divided into eight comunes: Portoferraio, Campo nell'Elba, Capoliveri, Marciana, Marciana Marina, Porto Azzurro, Rio Marina and Rio nell'Elba.
The land area of the island is about 224 km² (86 square miles) and the coastline is about 147 km (91 miles). The highest mountain is Monte Capanne at 1,018 metres (3,340 feet). The island has a population of approximately 30 000.
History
The island was well known from very ancient times for its iron resources. Mines were created by the Etruscans first and (after 480 BC) the Romans. The Greeks called it Aethalia (flame) after the flames of the furnaces for the metal production.
After the end of the Roman Empire, the island suffered for ravages from barbarians and Saracens. In the early 11th century it became a possession of Pisa. When the latter, in 1398, was sold to the Visconti of Milan, the island was acquired by the Appiani, Lords of Piombino, who retained it for two centuries. In 1546 part of the island was handed over to Cosimo I de' Medici, who fortified Portoferraio, renaming it "Cosmopoli", while in 1577 the rest of the island returned to the Appiani. In 1603 Philip II of Spain captured Porto Azzurro and built there two fortresses. In 1802 the island became a French possession, and its economy flourished.
Following the Treaty of Fontainebleau, French emperor Napoleon I was exiled to Elba after his forced abdication in 1814 and arrived at Portoferraio on May 4, 1814 to begin his exile there. He was allowed to keep a personal guard of six hundred men and was made the Emperor of the island. Although he was nominally sovereign of Elba, the island was watched (more or less) by British naval patrols. During these months, partly to pass the time and partly out of a genuine concern for the well-being of the people, he carried out a series of economic and social reforms to improve the quality of life on Elba. Napoleon stayed on Elba for 9 months and 21 days before he escaped and returned to France on February 26 for a Hundred Days. After his defeat at Waterloo he was subsequently exiled again, this time to the barren and isolated South Atlantic island of Saint Helena. Napoleon's stay on Elba is the basis for the famous English language palindrome: "Able was I ere I saw Elba."
In the Congress of Vienna the island was given to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In 1860 it became part of the new unified Kingdom of Italy.
French troops landed on Elba on June 17 1944, liberating the island from the Germans. Faulty intelligence and strong defences made this battle more difficult than expected.
More recently, the island has become famed for its wine. It is today a renowned tourist resort.
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