Rio Marina - Municipality of Rio

Rio Marina was once considered the Iron Capital of the Isola d’Elba. The mines and the port were used for the extraction and transport of iron ore, which even today, with its sparkle and characteristic reddish colour, marks much of the town, from the façades of the houses to the beaches and even the seabed.

After the mines closed down (the last one closed in 1981), mining activity gave way to tourism development, transforming Rio Marina into a thriving seaside resort and the buildings that once belonged to the mines into museums.

The building that once housed the Mining Directorate now accommodates the Elba Mineral and Mining Art Museum and the historical archive of the mines. The museum rooms recreate the original mining environments and house an important collection of mineral and stone specimens from the Isola d’Elba.

Also of particular historical interest is the hexagonal tower at the port, built around the middle of the 16th century at the behest of Jacopo V Appiani, while the distinctive clock tower dates back to 1882, the year the maritime municipality was founded, and the Oratory of San Rocco was built in 1570.

Rio Marina Open-Air Museum

The Open-Air Museum offers an immersive route through the streets of the town, enriched by seven installations celebrating the mining history of the Isola d'Elba, “land of iron and sun”, and Rio Marina in particular, once the beating heart of this industry.

These works were created using tools and mechanical components that tell the story of the hard work carried out in the mines by generations of miners. Starting from the former Officine San Jacopo and continuing as far as Via Magenta, where the Mining Park is located, visitors can admire winches, couplings, draining machines, bending machines and crushers. Each item is accompanied by information panels and has a QR code. Scanning the QR code provides access to videos that explain the functions of each exhibit, narrated by one of the last miners from Rio, a direct witness to an era that ended more than forty years ago.

The museum aims to keep the memory of this important past alive, not only for those who experienced that period, but also to make new generations aware of the roots and culture of their community.

Events: Two feast days are celebrated in Rio Marina every year: on 4 December, the town celebrates its patron saint, Santa Barbara, while events are also organised for San Rocco di Montpellier on 16 August.
To find out about the events, visit www.elbaeventi.it.