Cruise to Portoferraio !

Cruise tο Portoferraio !

Portoferraio is the capital of Elba Island, the largest island in the Tuscan archipelago and its port (‘the safest port in the world’ as Admiral Nelson once said) lies within the town itself. The Deep Water quay, where the majority of cruise ships tie up, is but a stone’s throw from the historic centre. Thus the passenger, disembarking on foot, finds himself inside the Medicean town, between fashionable shops and small restaurants, not far from places redolent of Napoleonic memories. In fact, from 1814 to 1815 the island was the home in exile of Napoleon Bonaparte, who left here two magnificent residences, both of which are now national museums frequented by thousands of visitors each year: The Villa dei Mulini, where the visitor can admire period furniture and furnishings and various paintings, and the summer residence at San Martino, a few miles from Portoferraio.

Luxury coaches are available at the foot of the gangway, ready to carry the visitor on trips to the most attractive corners of the island. In fact, Portoferraio is the entrance way to that extraordinary assemblage of history, nature and culture that we call Elba. Those visiting the island during a cruise can delve into past history with a visit to the remains of the Roman villas at Le Grotte and Capo Castello. The first dominates the whole gulf and is decorated by an opus reticolatum that can still be appreciated today for its stylistic perfection. The 27 Kilometers of Elba’s length consists of uncontaminated natural countryside: from jagged coast to beaches of rock and sand, to mountain landscapes of the inland.

In fact there is the opportunity to admire tiny villages, strung out a couple of miles one from the other, overlooking one of the most sparkling seas of the whole Mediterranean, or hidden away on mountainous slopes amid the green of the chestnut forests, all this whilst enjoying a taste of the exquisite local wines. In addition, Elba offers a harsher side, to be seen in the golden colours of the quarries, which man has worked here to extract a vast range of minerals.

Port Facts

Port Contact details

Main Contact Giampiero Costagli Marketing Director E g.costagli@ap.piombinoelba.it P +39 0565 229 210 F +39 0565 229 229

Other Contacts Michele Vanacore Chief Pilot E piloti.elba@alice.it   Lari & Palombo Srl E info@elbacruises.com Wwww.infoelbacruises.com   G. Mirello Viegi & C. Sas E viegimar@infol.it

Mailing Address Autorita Portuale di Piombino e dell’Elba Piazzale Premuda, 6/a 57025 – Piombino (LI), Italy W www.ap.piombinoelba.it