Everything about Elba totally explained
Elba is an island in
Tuscany,
Italy, from the coastal town of
Piombino. It is the largest island of the
Tuscan Archipelago, and the third largest
island in Italy after
Sicily and
Sardinia. Elba and the other islands of the Tuscan Archipelago are protected in the
National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago. The
French island of
Corsica lies about to the west. In
Italian it's called
Isola d'Elba.
History
Originally inhabited by
Ligures Ilvati who gave the ancient name
Ilva, the island was well known from very ancient times for its
iron resources an its valued mines.
The
Greeks called it
Aethalia (fume) after the fumes of the furnaces for the metal production.
Then was taken by force by the
Etruscans first and (after 480 BC) by the
Romans.
After the end of the
Roman Empire, the island suffered from ravages by barbarians and
Saracens. In the early 11th century it became a possession of the
Republic of Pisa. When the latter, in 1398, was sold to the
Visconti of Milan, the island was acquired by the
Appiani, Lords of
Piombino, who retained it for two centuries. In 1546 part of the island was handed over to
Cosimo I de' Medici, who fortified Portoferraio, renaming it "Cosmopoli", while in 1577 the rest of the island returned to the Appiani. In
1603 Philip II of Spain captured Porto Azzurro and built there two fortresses. In 1802 the island became a French possession, and its economy flourished.
Following the
Treaty of Fontainebleau,
French emperor
Napoleon I was exiled to Elba after his forced abdication in 1814 and arrived at Portoferraio on
May 3,
1814 to begin his exile there. He was allowed to keep a personal guard of six hundred men. Although he was nominally sovereign of Elba, the island was watched (more or less) by British naval patrols.
During these months, partly to pass the time and partly out of a genuine concern for the well-being of the people, he carried out a series of economic and social reforms to improve the quality of life on Elba. Napoleon stayed on Elba for 300 days before he escaped and returned to France on
February 26 for the
Hundred Days. After his defeat at
Waterloo he was subsequently exiled again, this time to the barren and isolated
South Atlantic island of
Saint Helena. Napoleon's stay on Elba is the basis for the famous
English language palindrome: "Able was I ere I saw Elba." It is the connection with Napoleon that Elba is best known for internationally.
In the
Congress of Vienna the island was given to the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In
1860 it became part of the new unified
Kingdom of Italy.
French troops
landed on Elba on
June 17 1944, liberating the island from the Germans. Faulty intelligence and strong defences made the battle more difficult than expected.
More recently, the island has become famed for its
wine. It is today a renowned tourist resort.
Airport
Image Gallery
Image:Elba Korsika.JPG|Elba and Corsica seen from Scarlino.
Image:PortoFerraio summer.jpg|Portoferraio.
Image:Elba Enfola.jpg|The clear water of the island.
Image:Immagine217.jpg|Marciana Marina.
Image:Elba-Cavoli.jpg|The beach of Cavoli.
Image:MteCapanne.JPG|Mt. Capanne, the highest peak of the island.
Image:Crepuscolo Elba.JPG| Twilight on Nisporto's bay.
Image:Casa di Napoleone.JPG|Napoleon's house in Portoferraio.
Image:Elba isl.jpg|Elba (bottom centre) from space, February 1994.
Image:Elba-004.jpg|Scaglieri beach
Image:Elba-007.jpg|Monte Capanne seen from Scaglieri
Image:Elba-021.jpg|
Further Information
Get more info on 'Elba'.
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