The municipalities and towns of the Island of Elba

Elba's administrative structure with its seven municipalities

It may seem strange, but the Island of Elba, despite covering an area of just 223.50 sq km, is divided into seven municipalities (until 2017 there were as many as 8).

This is a reminder that until not long ago, Elba was a collection of towns that were extremely different and isolated from one another, so much so that over time they developed completely different traditions, customs and economies. Just consider towns located only a few kilometres apart, such as San Piero and Marciana, for example, whose lives were based on completely different economies: the former on granite quarrying, while the latter, surrounded by a typically mountainous area rich in chestnut trees, has always relied on the fruits of the land, timber and sheep farming; or the enormous difference between Rio Marina, a mining town, Porto Azzurro, a Spanish outpost, and Portoferraio, a city-principality that welcomed Cosimo de' Medici and Napoleon within its walls.

Did you know? The differences between Elba's towns can be observed not only in their customs and the preparation of traditional dishes, but also in the dialect, which varies according to the area: while the dialect of Portoferraio, for example, is predominantly influenced by Tuscan, the dialect of Pomonte shares vocabulary with Corsican, and the dialect of Rio appears to be closer to Spanish. A variety that adds even more value to an island that never grows tiresome!

Some interesting facts

The Island of Elba has 31,362 residents (15,604 males and 15,758 females), of whom 11,748 (5,774 males and 6,004 females) live in the municipality of Portoferraio. (Source: ISTAT, January 2026)
In terms of area, the largest municipality is Portoferraio, while the smallest is Marciana Marina, covering 5.86 sq km.
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 Bagnaia beach is divided between Portoferraio and Rio nell'Elba.
Napoleon Bonaparte was the first to unite the municipalities of the Island of Elba under a single flag.
In February 2011, at the initiative of the Island of Elba's trade associations, a committee was established to promote a citizens' regional bill for the merger of the eight municipalities then existing on the Island of Elba. After the signatures had been collected and the required quorum for holding the consultation had been confirmed, the advisory referendum took place on 21 and 22 April 2013. However, the proposed law was rejected with 60.35% of the vote.
In 2017, the mayors of Rio Marina and Rio nell'Elba began the process of merging the two municipalities. Following the popular referendum and approval by the Regional Council, the Municipality of Rio was officially established on 1 January 2018.