Portoferraio is the capital of the beautiful island of Elba in Tuscany.

It is hard to imagine another island with a more natural capital. The port has always been considered one of the safest in the Mediterranean. These are the characteristics that have drawn people to this special place for centuries.

In his adventurous search for the golden fleece, Jason stopped in Porto Argo (the mythical name of Portoferraio). It was from here that the valiant inhabitants of Elba set sail on their long trip to aid King Priam and the unfortunate inhabitants of Troy. When the Romans took over the the iron mines from the Etruscans, they built two sumptuous villas. The first is on the promontory of the Grotte, with its once in a life time view of the bay. The other is on the peninsula of la Linguella, caressed by the glittering waves sent in by the mistral. Cosimo I de'Medici built the Jewel of military town planning, the fortress of Portoferraio, in the sixteenth century. The entire canal which separates Elba from the continent can be observed from the ramparts of Forte Stella or the Falcone and it was thus possible to keep an eye on the terrible Saracen pirates that roamed these waters The harmony between sea, land and architecture was so perfect that the city was called Cosmopoli, cradle of civilization and culture, a model of order and equilibrium.

Napoleon, who in his ten months rule over Elba (May 4, 1814 - February 26, 1815) left his mark on the territory and the economic and social fabric of the city and the island. He set up his headquarters in the historical center in a large house known as "Villa dei Mulini" but he also had a summer residence in San Martino, where the Demidoff Museum now stands The furniture, weapons, letters written by the Emperor and his generals, can still be seen in the places where he lived. The paintings and frescoes celebrate his campaigns in Egypt, his victories in Arcole, Austerlitz and the many other battlefields where his military genius triumphed. Upon leaving the historical center, wild cliffs frame fascinating coves and small beaches of white pebbles.

The twisted stone columns of Enfola reveal their secret caves smoothly polished by the perennial play of the waves. Indentations in the stone are populated by whole families of seagulls and the nests of swift low flying cormorants. This is a paradise for scuba divers. Time has stopped and nature still rules. The road runs along on the heights and the cliffs gradually turn into hot sandy baches. The sleepy beaches of Scaglieri, Biodola, and Forno follow golden beaches where people are one with the natural environment. Exploration of the eastern part takes us to localita San Giovanni, with its mixture of countryside and ocean, and a small tourist harbour and spa where ancient remedies and medications are extracted from the algae and muds of the sea. At Bagnala, with its hundred sails spread to the wind, the landscape is dominated by the castle of Volterraio, which has kept watch over the safety of the inhabitants of Elba for centuries.