The Argonauts and the Island of Elba

Diodoro Siculo (90-20 B.C.) was one of the first to write about Elba. He says that once the Argonauts had taken possession of the Golden Fleece and were sailing along the Tyrrhenian Sea, they came across an island called Aethalia; here they decided to build a port for their ships and give it the name ofArgon, called after their ship.

The Argonauts were a group of about 50 mythological heroes who, led by Giasone, started one of the best known and most fascinating legends in Greek mythology: the daring journey on the "Argo" that took them to the hostile lands of Colchide in search of the Golden Fleece.

The island called Aethalia was simply the Island of Elba, and seemingly the beautiful, fore mentioned port (and calling it "beautiful" is the least we can say!), was the beach we know today as Le Ghiaie!

Le Ghiaie (you can see it on our webcam) is in the northern part of Portoferraio. It consists of white pebbles with darkish marks that the sea has made smooth over the years, and, if we want to believe the legend, it was precisely the Argonauts' drops of sweat that fell onto the pebbles and caused these marks.