Elba Island and Rio Marina village

The Elba Island is located in the heart of the Tuscan Archipelago, and in a central and prevailing position represents the most beautiful and attractive Island of the Tuscan Coast.
The Elba Island with its warm clima, with its crystal-clear and iridescent colours sounding-depth and with important geological formations is today, a radiant land, rich of natural surroundings and historical and artistic treasures of inestimable value.

It’s a land… where the silence is just broken by sea-mews’ cries, where the glance gets lost in outstanding and remarkable seascapes, where old stones tell stories lost in the mist of time, where tower, fortresses, churches and mines let know about the millenary human history.

The Elba Island is a paradise of natural and unique historical landscapes, that everyone could discover following well marked itineraries and tracks, in a wild and sprightly nature, where the one who is found of trekking, mountain-bike and walking, could observe suggestive mountain sceneries in an unusual background… the sea.

In a frame of a crystalline sea, that gently touches beautiful sand beaches, secret green gulfs and steep reefs, the North-eastern side of the Island still offers green and flowery country-sides, barren lands of a wild nature, uncontaminated landscapes, where little old sea villages, climbed on a little haughtiness, still keep their memory of ancient shelter for fishermen.
So, it’s in this way, that on this side of the Elba Island, the little Municipal and Harbour Centre of Rio Marina, although the tourism development, preserves nowadays a particular atmosphere of genuine simplicity, the typical look of an old mediaeval village that, in its “old center” , wings among narrow alleys, in little squares and in stones flights of steps.

This little center, conserves still today, an old octagonal Tower with clock, as an historical testimony of its millenary culture and its important past.
The Tower that, has been built for the will of The Apian in the 1500 in front of the harbour, creates unique wonderful sea sights… where the history of an old village reflects in the mirror of the sea.

Observing this unbelievable scenery, Rio marina looks as an old land of a great millenary mining culture, of chromatic contrasts, where its luxuriant, flourishing green wild valleys clash with the reddish surrounding hills and with the several deserted and obsolete mines, which remember of old ferrous deposits, of a great millenary mining culture, the latter reconverted to the tourism development and to a deep valorization of the huge natural patrimony of the whole Island.
Rio marina and its nearby areas represent a part of Island, which are off the common tourist courses, and much more in contact with the nature…and with their mining History…
So, have a nice journey!!!

Here the wonderful trucks suggested by the Etrusco Hotel
By walking, by mountain-bike and.. horsing…

The Elba Island is a true paradise… of beautiful treasures, for the sea and for its wonderful crystalline waters, for its green gulfs, uncontaminated bays and steep reefs…and in this case especially for its several courses and little mule-tracks.
These latest have been built during the years, and today they offer the opportunity to the tourist to let know the Island much better and deeper…
These trucks, with the background of the sea in the green Mediterranean vegetation, wrapped in all the colours and scents of it, are the witness of the historical events that have signed the life and the past of the Island..

So follow us and walking together we will discover fascinating places..

THE ETRUSCO HOTEL SUGGEST…
Some steps among the mountains and the sea..

Truck n.60: Truck n.°60: Starting from Cavo, exactly from a pinewood in Capo Castello. Arriving: Solana Alta.

This course is the beginning of the “Grande Traversata Elbana” (GTE), that starting from Cavo cross the whole island, from east to west, from north to south.

It has been defined during the years from an old and deserted road, going inside of the north-eastern coast, from Capo Vita until Monte Lentisco. Following the direction for Il Serrone, we can reach Cala Mandriola and Cala del Pisciatoio directly on the sea, or otherwise we can go all straight on for Solana Alta. From here we can have a beautiful sight of Cavo and Piombino’s harbour ( because of its short distance to the Continent), with its two little islands of Palamaiola and of Cerbioli.

*** The truck is ideal in particular for those persons that are really interested to the natural landscape of the Island, and of all its huge vegetation. A beautiful scenery can be admired from Capo Vita until Solana Alta.

From Solana Alta, starts the truck n.°61 GTE.

Truck n.°53Pp: Starting in the road that from Rio nell’Elba goes up to Volterraio. Ariving: Le Secche.

This truck signed as Pp, means its primary importance for its natural and environment particularities.

It was born from an old mule-track, traced out by the old inhabitants of the village Rio, in order to reach the small centres of the west coast crossing the “la Croce Pass” (“ Il passo La Croce”), (342 m. high).
Reached it, crossing the truck n.°62 GTE, that comes up until the “Monte Capannello” (496 m. high), we will start to go down to the Nisporto valley until Le Secche.

***Following this truck, and arriving to the top of La Croce Pass, we could admire two beautiful and different sights: one of the mining and wild landscape of the eastern coast, and the other one of the green vegetation of the west background. Going down of this mule-track, we will cross a huge holm-oak valley, as a true testimony of this latest scenery.

Also this course, is right perfect for whom is really interested to the flora and the natural aspects of the environment, looking for a balance with the nature.

Truck n.°59Pp. : Starting from the road “La Parata” ( Cavo, Rio nell’Elba).
Arriving: Giove Mountain Tower (Torre del Monte Giove).

Through this truck we can reach the top of the Mountain Giove at 352 m. in a really short time.
Starting from the road La Parata, we go after in an opened green holm-oak wood until the top.
When we will be arrived to the top of the mountain, we could take a small old course, all around the tower, in order to observe and admire all the architectonic and historical characteristics of it.

*** This truck is very evocative by an historical and natural point of view: it leads you until the top of the Giove Mountian, where it’s possible to admire the Rio nell’Elba’s landscape and all the iron mines over Rio Marina.
It’s suggested also, to visit the ruins of the old Tower, well know also as “ the Giogo ‘s Fortress”, which has been built by the will of Giacomo III d’Aragona Appiano in the 1459, besieged and destroyed several times by pirate raids, and definitely demolished by the Spanish in the war for the possess of the Island.

… So have a nice time walking around the Island, to discover colours, scents, landscapes and history of all its villages..!!!!

Small pearls of The Elba Island

There are many aspects that characterize the whole Island…. The blue sky, the warm clima, the pleasant atmosphere, the crystalline sea and its bays… but unique and particular are the elements that distinguish the all area of Rio Marina… these small pearls, born in the mining heart of Elba, and for this, more and more precious.. the beaches…..

Rio Marina, offers a vast choice of beaches of the Island, considering its favourable position to go along an huge way of the eastern coast.

This beautiful and wild strip of land could be reached by suggestive trucks in the green Mediterranean vegetation, and in the case of bays with steep reefs…only by sea..

Starting to go along the coast from the South to the North, from the borderland of Porto Azzurro to Portoferraio village, we meet the first beach: Capo d’Arco, a white and fine gravel beach, sheltered by a small gulf, and surrounded by smooth rocks.

We can reach it, taking a private truck. Going on along it, we meet the Ortano beach, easy to reach simply following the direction for Rio nell’Elba. This little creek, framed among the ruins of an old mine, preserves its natural beauty; andsurrounded by the green vegetation and the reefs, it extends as far as the pretty bays of the opposite islets, that we can reach swimming!! The huge sandy shore is right perfect for those persons who love comforts, and the crystalline clear sea permits the seawatching.

Reaching the village, and following the directions for the “via panoramica” of Rio Marina, from the cliff to the sea and of a great attraction, we arrive to the beautiful beaches ofIl Porticciolo, of Luisi d’Angelo and of Marina di Gennaro, hidden in a nice gulf by stratified rocks, where all around, there are natural reefs and plants, that creates shades and quiet atmosphere.

Suggested for seawatching.

All the beaches around Rio Marina and Cavo, ( some of those could be reached only by sea, as Vigneria beach) are particularly interesting for their mining conformation; they are characterized by a particular black-reddish shining and bright colour, because ofmany iron-ores and haematites that everyone can find…!!

Still natural and wild mining bays, are the Topinetti and Cala Seregola beaches, not so far one from the other (the latter is equipped with a little snack-bar and parking), that we can reach through the road that from Rio Marina leads to Cavo. These beaches were born, where many years before there were old mines, and for this they preserve an unreal and fascinating atmosphere.

The area is very wind, right perfect for the persons found of windsurf..

A nice sandy shore is also Cala dell’alga , near Cavo, where we can have beautiful and fascinating sights on the sea landscape. We can reach it, walking through a narrow truck, which starts from Capo Castello; the beach is not so well equipped, and it’s preferred by those persons who are really interested on the geological and natural conformations and on the snorkelling activity.

Going on by trekking course from Cavo, we arrive at Cala Lentisco and Cala Mandriola, small bays surrounded by reefs in the Mediterranean vegetation, particulars especially for their sounding-dephts.

…If after you have visited all these enchanting beaches, you will desire still the sea… then you could go to Nisporto, Capoliveri and Porto Azzurro, and others wonderful and natural bays with sand and reefs will wait just for you….!!

THE ART AND THE CULTURE OF THE MINES..

The eastern side of the Island, from Porto Azzurro to Rio Marina, from Capoliveri to Cavo, represents the mining heart of Elba, where each of these little villages, hidden among enchanting gulfs and castled on steep haughtiness, tell about their own remote history of old miners and about the most important activity of the whole Island: the mining.

In Rio Marina, there are many deserted mines and quarries, that testify the historical and archaeological value of the mining activity. During the years, those mines have characterized the whole area, giving a particular reddish colour to the surrounding hills and to the oldest houses, because of the huge quantity of iron, haematite, pyrite and quartz that still exists.
In the old palace of mines direction, today Parco Minerario Elbano, in the centre of the village, there’s a big minerals’ exposition coming from all the parts of Elba, together with a photographic documentation and illustration of their extraction places.
This Mining Museum, realized in a real size, shows the different ways to mineralise the rock, and the extraction’ s techniques used in the centuries. Inside, have been reproduced the forger men’s workshop, the shelter of the miners and a little tunnel: all that rebuilt, using materials found in the old yards. Many photos and old stamps represent the life’s style of that important historical period.

Going on with our mining visit in the surrounding, we could walk around the Iron Mines, along well signed courses together with a specialized guide, to discover old mining yards, some of those exploited during the Etruscan and Roman periods.
In these mines, in the “Cantiere del Bacino”, we could find interesting pyrite’s and haematite’s samples and of other kind of minerals, and in the meanwhile know the different techniques used to extract them.

In Porto Azzurro, to always remember the importance of this activity, it has been reproduced along the road that leads to Rio nell’Elba, a mine in a reduced size, La Piccola Miniera, a little mine that long an underground route ( its duration is about 15 minutes), each visitor can observe the working and the transformation of minerals.
A little train will lead you under along this underground course, and after it, you will find the Museo Minerario Etrusco, (Mining Etruscan Museum), where a huge minerals’ collection and samples of the mining life style are showed.

At north-east of Porto Azzurro, long the road leading to Rio Marina, we find the lake “ Il laghetto di Terranera” , separated from the sea by a fine sand strip, born in the place, where originally there was a pyrite’s mine.
Interesting for its mining value, but also fascinating for its beautiful landscape: a fresh-water sulphur source, feeds the lake, and gives to it a yellow colour in right contrast with the blue of the sea.

These are the tracks, that Etrusco Hotel suggest to You, but many others just wait for you, in order to discover that part of Elba Island, so rich and precious…!!