Portoferraio Cavo ferry

Portoferraio Guide

The Italian town of Portoferraio is located in the Province of Livorno, on the edge of the harbour on the island of Elba. The town's name is derived from the Italian for "Iron Port", after the iron mills in and around the city. It is because of these mills that facilitated the city's growth during the 19th century. During this period the town became the main shipping port of profitable iron ore towards the mainland. Thanks to Napoleon's stay, as he was exiled in Elba in 1814 after his defeats in Europe and his forced abdication, Portoferraio and the entire island enjoyed an age of glory.

Arriving from the sea, Portoferraio seems like a bay, protected from pirates by it bastions which provide shelter from the sea. One of the most popular tourist attractions in the town are its ancient bastions and historic walls, which are fairly well preserved, and were built to provide protection to the town. Located nearby is the hamlet of Le Grotte, where visitors can see remains of a Roman villa dating back to the Imperial period. Until 1960, the ruins were covered by shrubs and plants, but excavation showed the extent of the complex with wall sin opus reticulatum, large terraces overlooking the sea and a pool with heating and water cycle system.

Ferry services from the town's harbour depart to Plombino, Bastia and Cavo.

Cavo Guide

The town and port of Cavo is located on the Italian island of Elba, the largest of the island in the Tuscan Archipelago and Italy's third largest, after Sardinia and Sicily. It also forms the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago, Europe's largest marine park, along with Giglio, Giannutri and Montecristo. The island is perhaps most famous for harbouring French Emperor Napoleon in 1814 during his exile, although the island's history goes back much further than this. It dates back to prehistory with the Ilvati tribe from Liguria who named the island Ilva and then later inhabited by the Etruscans and then later still by the Romans who liked the island because of its rich deposits of iron ore and its mud baths. The island's archaeological findings, contained in its museums, the impressive fortresses and military buildings such as Castello del Volterraio and the beautiful Napoleonic residences of the 1800's such as Palazzina dei Mulini all bear testament to the island's past.