Guide turistiche

Elba (Latin: Ilva) is an island in Tuscany, Italy, 20 km (or 12 miles) from the coastal town of Piombino ( 42°44'N, 10°22'E). 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. 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.