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Last minute booking 4 Special offers 7 Apartaments 218 Small villas and detached houses 17 Bed & breakfast 16 Hotels 79 Villas 7 Residences 47 Farm holiday centres 14 Campsites 18 Farm holiday campsites 1
  1. Island of Elba
  2. Discovering Elba
  3. Communes and towns
    • Campo nell'Elba
    • Capoliveri
    • Marciana
    • Marciana Marina
    • Portoferraio
    • Rio nell'Elba
    • Rio Marina
    • Porto Azzurro

The communes and towns on the Island of Elba

Administration of Elba and its seven Communes

Population and area It may seem strange, but the Island of Elba, despite having an area of only 223.50 km², is divided into seven municipalities (it was eight until 2017).

This serves as a reminder that until recently, Elba was a collection of extremely different and disconnected towns, so much so that over time, they developed entirely different customs, traditions, and economies. Just think about towns located just a few kilometers apart, like San Piero and Marciana, for example, which based their livelihoods on completely different economies: the first on granite extraction, the second, located in a typically mountainous area rich in chestnut trees, has always relied on the fruits of the land, wood, and pastoralism; or the huge differences between Rio Marina, a mining town, Porto Azzurro, a Spanish outpost, and Portoferraio, a city-principality that welcomed among its walls Cosimo de' Medici and Napoleon.

Curiosity: the differences between the towns of Elba can be observed not only in the customs and the preparation of typical dishes but also in the dialect, which varies depending on the area: while the Portoferraio dialect has predominantly Tuscan influences, the Pomontino dialect has lexical similarities with Corsican, and the Rio dialect seems closer to Spanish. These varieties add value to an island that never gets tiring!

Some Curiosities

  • The Island of Elba has about 32,000 inhabitants, of which 12,000 live in the municipality of Portoferraio.
  • In terms of area, the largest municipality is Portoferraio, while the smallest is Marciana Marina with its 5.86 km².
  • The island of Pianosa belongs to the municipality of Campo nell'Elba, while Montecristo is part of the municipality of Portoferraio.
  • The largest beach on the Island of Elba is located in Marina di Campo, while the Bagnaia beach is disputed between Portoferraio and Rio nell'Elba.
  • Napoleon Bonaparte was the first to unify the municipalities of the Island of Elba under one flag.
  • In February 2011, at the initiative of the Island of Elba's Category Associations, the Committee for the Regional Law Popular Initiative was established for the merger of the eight municipalities existing on the Island of Elba. After collecting the signatures and confirming the quorum for the consultation, the consultative referendum took place on April 21 and 22, 2013. However, the proposed law was rejected with 60.35% of the votes.
  • In 2017, the mayors of Rio Marina and Rio nell'Elba started the process to merge the two municipalities. After a popular referendum and approval by the Region, on January 1, 2018, the Municipality of Rio was officially born.

Campo nell'Elba

The varied, high quality holiday accommodation makes this ancient sea town one of the island's most important holiday resorts

Sant'Ilario

Sant'Ilario, tiny Medieval town on the hills, with a beathtaking view of the gulf of Marina di Campo, on the Island of Elba.
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San Piero

San Piero is a tiny town set on granite at the foot of Monte Capanne, part of the commune of Campo nell'Elba.
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Seccheto

With a beautiful sandy beach and the cliffs nearby, Seccheto over the years has become a well known tourist attraction with a bathing establishment.
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Capoliveri

The small commune of Capoliveri, high up on the hills, is today one of Elba's liveliest and most characteristic towns, rich in fascinating history. Read more

Marciana

Marciana is a hillside town 375 metres above sea level, and is one of the oldest towns, rich in history and archeology.

Poggio

Quiet and peaceful ancient hillside town surrounded by chestnut trees and with a breathtaking view of the sea below.
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Sant'Andrea

Sant'Andrea is also called "a tiny island within an island" because, thanks to its unique beauty, it is like no other town in Elba.
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Patresi

The nature around the town of Patresi is one of the characteristics that help to make it a perfect holiday resort
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Chiessi

Nature is one of Chiessi's strongpoints: on one side the valley with its many paths, on the other the sea and the cliffs.
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Pomonte

A picturesque town divided by the sea and the mountains, a beautiful frame around the wonderful, homonymous valley rich in vine terracings, ditches and springs
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Procchio

The tiny town of Procchio is in the Municipality of Marciana and is one of the busiest seaside resorts on the Island of Elba.
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Marciana Marina

With its picturesque places, narrow, granite streets and pastel coloured houses looking out onto the sea, it is one of Italy's smallest communes. Read more

Portoferraio

Portoferraio, main town on the Island of Elba, has very ancient origins and has always maintained its Renaissance beauty.

Bagnaia

Bagnaia, right on the beach at the furthermost point of the gulf of Portoferraio, is half part of the Comune of Portoferraio and half that of Rio.
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Rio nell'Elba

Famous for its iron mines that date back to the Etruscan period, Rio nell'Elba was the mineral centre on the island until the ores were closed down. Read more

Rio Marina

With the closure of the iron mines that made it the "Iron Capital", Rio Marina is now a flourishing beach resort.

Cavo

Cavo is a fully equipped beach resort, and the nearest place to the mainland.
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Porto Azzurro

A lively, welcoming town with clear Spanish origins, at the foot of a promontory in the wide inlet on the eastern side of the island. Read more

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Island of Elba infopoint

Further reading

Population of the Island of Elba

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Getting about on the island
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