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Vacancy quote Search accommodation Last minute booking Special offers Ferries to Elba Hire
Last minute booking 4 Special offers 7 Apartaments 29 Small villas and detached houses 1 Bed & breakfast 5 Hotels 16 Villas 3 Residences 4 Farm holiday centres 4 Campsites 4
  1. Island of Elba
  2. Discovering Elba
  3. Communes and towns
  4. Portoferraio
    • Bagnaia

The commune of Portoferraio

Portoferraio: the main town on the Island of Elba

Factions Acquaviva, Biodola, Bagnaia, Magazzini, Montecristo (island), San Giovanni, San Martino, Santo Stefano, Scaglieri, Schiopparello, Valle di Lazzaro, Viticcio, Volterraio
Area 48 km²
Population 11,992
Altitude 4 m above sea level
ZIP Code 57037
What to see Roman villa of Linguella, Archaeological Museum of Linguella, Martello Tower, Portoferraio Cathedral, Forte Stella, Villa dei Mulini, Napoleon’s Memorabilia Museum, De Laugier Barracks, Vigilanti Theatre - Renato Cioni, Forte Falcone, Medici Bastions, English Fort
Nearby Italo Bolano Open Air Museum, Villa San Martino, Roman villa of the Caves, Church of St. Stephen at Trane

The capital and main port of the island, Portoferraio has just under 12,000 inhabitants. A city with ancient origins, it was known as Porto Argo in mythological narratives and was called Fabricia from the Etruscan-Roman era, in reference to the ancient ironworking present in the area.

Centuries after its founding, Portoferraio still retains its ancient Renaissance charm. The powerful walls built in the 1500s by Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who renamed the new fortress city Cosmopoli, represent a feat of high engineering and extraordinary architectural beauty.

Arriving by ferry, it is hard not to be mesmerized by the particular beauty of the harbor with the fortresses overlooking it.

At the entrance to the port, considered the safest in the world even by Admiral Nelson, is the Martello Tower, also called Passannante Tower after the time when the fortified area was used as a penal colony, where the assassin who wounded King Umberto I was held, giving the tower its name.

Inside the Linguella complex, you can also visit an interesting archaeological museum where amphorae and artifacts dating back to the Etruscan era are displayed.

Above the historic center is the Forte Stella, named for the star-shaped form of its walls. Built in 1548 based on the design by Camerini, the structure hosts one of the oldest lighthouses in Europe, erected by Grand Duke Leopold of Lorraine in 1788.

Here, in addition to enjoying an excellent panoramic view of the Portoferraio harbor, you can admire from above the Villa dei Mulini, the winter residence of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

Curiosity: Napoleon landed on May 3, 1814, at Portoferraio to take possession of the small kingdom that was assigned to him in exchange for his abdication, according to the Treaty of Fontainebleau. Despite his brief exile on the island (he stayed on the island for only 10 months), he left a significant cultural and historical legacy on Elba. In addition to the works preserved in the Villa dei Mulini, in Villa San Martino, and the Napoleon’s Memorabilia Museum, where valuable furnishings, artworks, imperial friezes, as well as the extraordinary collection of over a thousand volumes directly from Fontainebleau and the flag with three golden bees, the symbol of the industrious Elbans, can be admired, Napoleon also carried out important works such as a theater and several of the main roads on Elba.

Forte Falcone, located at the highest point of the city, with its bastions, is undoubtedly the most powerful Medici fortification on the island. To demonstrate its defensive capacity, it withstood numerous attacks by the Saracens, unlike the forts in Capoliveri, Rio, and Marciana, which were repeatedly devastated by the bloody pirate raids.

Visiting the historic center of Portoferraio, the heart of ancient Cosmopoli, you can discover, in addition to some interesting historical monuments and sacred places, narrow and winding streets with stairways that open into panoramic squares, old houses with flowered balconies, and picturesque corners where you can meet local characters ready to share anecdotes and curiosities about island life.

In front of the Portoferraio harbor on the Grotte Promontory, excavations have uncovered the ruins of a large Roman villa. Here, parts of decorations and mosaics from the Hadrianic era can be admired. The ruins remained covered by brambles until 1960, when excavation work revealed the large complex with opus reticulatum walls, large terraces overlooking the sea, and a pool equipped with a heating and water purification system.

Not far away, in the Magazzini area, is the Church of St. Stephen at Trane, unique for its particular architectural forms, it is certainly one of the most fascinating Pisan Romanesque churches on the island.

Events: On April 29 each year, Portoferraio celebrates its Patron Saint, St. Cristino.
On August 15, celebrations are also held for Napoleon’s birthday with dances, concerts, and a fireworks display.
To discover the upcoming events, visit the website www.elbaeventi.it

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.
Read more

Where to stay near Portoferraio

Are you looking for a place to stay for your holiday in Portoferraio? Visit this page to see all accommodation available near Portoferraio

Legend of points of interest

Churches and sancturies
Forts and fortresses
Historical places
Museums

Groups di points of interest: zoom in to see them (the icon may vary in colour and size).

29 places to visit that can be seen on the map
The map has already been laid out at a zoom level that enables you to see all the points of interest.

Advice from Infoelba

Napoleonic MayRaffaello Brignetti Literary PrizeNew Year's Eve in the squareElba, European Music Island

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Further reading

Roman villa in LinguellaMartello TowerLinguella Museum of ArchaeologyDome of PortoferraioFort StellaVilla dei MuliniMisericordia ChurchMuseum of Napoleonic RelicsDe Laugier BarracksThe Vigilanti Theatre "Renato Cioni"Fort FalconeMedicean rampartsChurch of Santo Stefano alle TraneEnglish FortSan Martino VillaNAT-LABOpen Air Museum Italo BolanoMonumental Complex of Le Grotte

Go now to...

CosmopoliFollowing the footsteps of Napoleon

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Cosmopoli today
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