Rio Marina
Il Comune di Rio Marina all'Isola d'Elba
The Iron capital, her mines and port were used in the excavation and transportation of the mineral that still today, with her sparkle and reddish color characterize this small town, from the color of the houses to the color of the sand, the color of the very essence of her foundations.
Of particular historical interest, the hexagon tower located at the towns port and the oratory of San Rocco built in 1570. Also worthy of a visit is the Mineral Museum which is host to over 700 examples of beautiful and rare minerals.
After the imminent closure of the mines,
development of the town evolved around tourism
and today, Rio Marina has become a popular
seaside resort.
Le vecchie miniere si trovano tutte nella
parte orientale dell'Elba, nei territori
dei comuni di Rio Marina e Capoliveri. Procedendo
da nord a sud si incontra la miniera di
Rioalbano che si estende dal tratto di costa
tra Cala del Telegrafo e Rialbano a tutto
il Monte Calendozio.
Here, as early as Etruscan and Roman times, minerals, mainly haematite and limonite, were mined and processed locally. The Rio Marina mine is close to the last houses in the town, and extends as far as Monte Giove; large quantities of haematite and pyrite were mined here.
At the foot of Mount Fico, to the north of Ortano beach, is the Ortano mine. The pyrite extracted from the mine was used to produce sulphuric acid. Some hedembergite and ilvaite crystals of outstanding size were found in this mine.
To the north-east of Porto Azzurro, just over one kilometre from each other as the crow flies, are the Terra Nera and Capo Bianco mines. The Terra Nera mine from which pyrite, haematite and magnetite were extracted, has now become a little fresh water lake close to the sea.
Limonite was extracted from the Capo Bianco mine, so-called because of the colour of the rock. At the southernmost tip of the Monte Calamita promontory are the Punta Calamita and Punta Bianca mines, both of which produced mainly magnetite.
The main villages in the municipality of Rio Marina are: Capo d'Arco, Ortano and Cavo. The latter is situated at the far north end of the island, at the foot of Monte Grosso.
Cavo is a seaside resort, with good tourist facilities, and a sandy beach that stretches as far as Capo Castello, where there are the remains of a I century AD Roman villa and a splendid coastline with cliffs extending from Capo Castello to Capo della Vita.
In addition to being the nearest landing point for anyone arriving from the mainland, the little harbour is equipped to supply water and fuel to pleasure craft. Giuseppe Garibaldi was an illustrious visitor to the village in 1849, on his way to the Island of Caprera.
In the village one can admire
the Tonietti Mausoleum, an unusual Liberty
style building that stands out against the
island's wild vegetation, designed
by the architect Gino Coppedè (Florence
1866 - Rome 1927) commissioned by the
Tonietti family as a sepulchral chapel.
The Tonietti family were the first licensees
of Elba's eastern coast iron mines,
after the Unification of Italy. Other works
by Coppedè include the Via Dora district
in Rome.
Rio Marina Beaches: La caletta (sand and rock), I Topinetti (shingle), Cala Seregola (shingle and rock), Le Fornacelle (shingle), Il Porticciolo (shingle), Ortano (sand and shingle), Cavo (sand and shingle), Frugoso (shingle).
Rio Marina Hamlets: Cavo.
Places of Historical Interest: Torre Appianea (tower), Oratory of San Rocco, Roman villa of Capocastello (Cavo), Archeological excavations of San Bennato (Cavo), Castle of Mount Giove.
Places of cultural interest: Mineral Park of the island of Elba-Cantiere Bacino (ship yard), The museum of Elban Minerals (at the local council buildings), Murals depicting the the evolution of Rio (Antique workshop of San Jacobo), The emergence of Ilvaite (King Fulvio I - we recommend you visit in the evenings).
CAP (ZIP Code): 57038; Area Code: 0565
