Italy's idyllic emperor isle

Famous for hosting the exiled Napoleon, Elba today offers a taste of Tuscany without crowds says PAUL MANSFIELD...

Explore the beauty of Elba Italy Explore the beauty of Elba, Italy

IN PORTOFERRAIO an ancient stone tower stands at the harbour entrance. Stuccoed houses tumble down the hillside to a row of battered old fishing boats and there’s a sleepy, remote atmosphere that makes it feel way off the beaten track. It’s not. This is Elba, “Tuscany’s Island”, and the bustle of Pisa and Florence are just a short sail away.

Mention Elba and most people think of Napoleon; the defeated Emperor was briefly exiled here after the Battle of Trafalgar. This rugged island between Corsica and the Italian coast is becoming increasingly popular with tourists, however. Recent celebrity sightings include Johnny Depp and Lord Of The Rings actor

Andy Serkis and direct flights from the UK to Pisa have also made it easier to reach.

An hour-long ferry trip takes you from Piombino on the mainland across to Elba. From Portoferraio, the island capital, a network of good if winding roads, many built by Napoleon, fan out across the island. Elba is the third-largest island in Italy after Sardinia and Sicily, so hiring a car is vital. First stop is the Hotel Ilio, which opened in 1959.

It overlooks the tiny cove of Sant Andrea in the west of the island and is a 20-room boutique hotel set around a leafy central courtyard. It is conspicuously “green”, in a country not noted for its ecological awareness, using low-energy lighting and recycling whatever it can.

Food served on the sunny terrace is mostly organic and local: thick zuppa paesana (“village soup”) of island vegetables; branzino fish cooked in mountain herbs; a smooth Tuscan digestif called Brandy di Brunello.

What tourists Elba does receive are mostly Italians flocking to the island in August. Away from the peak season, it is probably at its best. The coastline is dotted with stunning beaches, from broad swathes of sand to tiny pebbled coves such as the beautifully named Innamorata beach.

Here you can swim and snorkel surrounded by an amphitheatre of pine trees and with luck you’ll be the only swimmer there. Mountain biking, sea kayaking and other outdoor pursuits are also popular but one of the best options, especially in spring and autumn, is walking. The centre of the island is a maze of deep green valleys and high ridges, all marked by walking trails.

The trail across the lower slopes of Mt Capanne, the highest peak on the island at 3,000ft, leads through groves of holm oaks and pine. Rock roses, myrtle and broom form splashes of colour against the landscape.

After a couple of hours you reach the village of Marciana, where in the tiny medieval chapel a faded fresco of a red-robed saint can just be seen. Outside the village café, elderly locals cackle over their espressos, with not a coach party or souvenir shop in sight.

In Portoferraio the narrow lanes of the old quarter are busy with locals. A few loungers congregate on the quayside watching the boats come in. The harbour is dotted with down-to-earth restaurants serving fresh fish and tangy white wine. Don’t expect Tuscan prices; Elba is much cheaper than the mainland.

Napoleon’s old house, the Villa dei Mulini, is still there, perched above Portoferraio and now open as a tourist attraction. There’s a library with 2,000 books, several grand reception rooms and even one of his famous bicorn hats. Napoleon had a cushy time of it on Elba. He was allowed to keep an army of 1,000 men and the title Emperor of Elba.

At the eastern end of the island, hair-raising roads corkscrew down into tiny ports and up again to equally remote settlements. One, Capoliveri, is a quintessential hilltop town, with a central piazza looking out over a sea of terracotta roofs. At midday a solitary church bell chimes and the cobbled streets are quiet. You could be anywhere in Tuscany, apart from the lack of crowds.

The other big difference is the view. Instead of rolling hills and farmland, Capoliveri is surrounded on all sides by dazzling azure sea.

Back at sea level in the smart village of Porto Azzurro, swish yachts with names like Senza Fretta (No Hurry) line the harbour, and the seafront cafés offer exotic cocktails as well as cappuccinos. It’s hard to think of this gem-like island as a place of punishment but Napoleon lasted a mere 10 months on Elba before absconding back to France.

That’s ex-emperors for you.

* getting there: British Airways (0844 493 0787/www.ba.com) offers return flights to Pisa from Gatwick from £90.

The Hotel Ilio (dialling from UK: 00 39 05 6590 8018/www.ilio.it) offers doubles from £43pp per night (two sharing), half-board.

Alamo (0870 400 4596/www.alamo.co.uk) offers seven days’ car hire from £194.

Moby Lines (www.mobylines.com) offers daily ferries between Piombino and Portoferraio.

Italian State Tourist Board: 020 748 1254/www.italiantouristboard.co.uk or www.visitelba.com

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