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Isola d'Elba is an idyllic Mediterranean paradise located off the coast of Tuscany in Italy. Situated in the Tyrrhenian Sea, Elba is the third largest Italian island and boasts stunning natural beauty that includes mountains, rivers, and beaches. Famed for its iron richness and for being the site of Napoleon's first exile, luring in a countless number of sightseers every year, Isola d'Elbar has plenty to offer visitors.
What to do in 1 day on the island of Elba.
PORTOFERRAIO
The main inhabited center of the island of Elba is Portoferraio. There is certainly no shortage of things to see. Here you can find some of the most beautiful beaches on the island of Elba. There are also the famous Medici fortresses, a complex of fortifications that represented the main defense of the city.
WESTERN RING or ANELLO OCCIDENTALE
The western ring road of the island of Elba is the coastal road that goes from Procchio to Marina di Campo. Along this route you will find unique places you have to visit such as: The islet of Paolina The Monte Capanne cableway to climb the highest peak of the Tuscan Archipelago. The Pisan fortress and the gulf of Fetovaia. From there you can enjoy a truly wonderful panorama: in front of you the red-tiled roofs of Marciana, the marinas that open up to the immensity of the sea, Corsica, the island of Capraia and the whole coast of the continent; behind you the majesty of the 1019 meters of Monte Capanne on whose slopes lies the village of Poggio.
LUNCH
A stop in the inhabited centers of Marciana, Marciana Marina and Marina di Campo is highly recommended, especially to stop in one of the many small restaurants by the sea for lunch.
Resuming the journey after lunch, you will begin to descend very gently towards the coast, crossing the towns of Sant'Andrea, la Zanca, Colle d'Orano. This is where the Costa del Sole begins, the suggestive stretch of coast full of coves, cliffs overlooking the sea, sea caves and wonderful golden beaches, which extends up to Cavoli.
At a certain point you will find a small house on the lower right surrounded by terraced vineyards. Natural setting for concerts of the highest level, Campo Lo Feno is a place of great value and artistic interest. Lonely and enchanted, it is also one of the most photographed places on the Island of Elba. Stop for a moment to admire the immensity of the sea and the islands that stand out on the horizon: Corsica, Pianosa, Montecristo and Giglio.
After passing this fairy-tale place, take the road overhanging the sea, crossing the villages of Chiessi and Pomonte, until you reach the gulf of Fetovaia. Stop here again to admire the landscape: the tongue of land that stretches out towards the open sea, the crystalline water, the islands on the horizon and, behind it, the majesty of the granite promontories create an atmosphere of lost paradise. Continuing the tour of the western ring you reach the village of Seccheto and the locality of Cavoli with its white quartzite beach. Finally, taking the road to Marina di Campo, you can stop for the last stop: the cliff that plunges into the transparency of the sea, the islands on the horizon, and the coast of the continent that emerges again behind the promontories, are a perfect goodbye for this intense itinerary that has filled the eyes, the mind and the spirit.
Your day in Elba will be finished and you will take the ferry again after dinner to the mainland.
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