Napoleon springs in Poggio

There is a source of natural spring water just off the town of Poggio (Marciana), that flows from the valley of Monte Capanne, surrounded by woods of holm oaks and chestnut trees.

The original name of the spring was Fonte Acquaviva due to the fact that water flowed all the time; the name was later changed to Fonte Napoleone in memory of the long stops that the emperor loved to make in this area rich in hornbeams, alders and holly trees during his exile in Elba. The spring is in fact just another clear example of how close close the great, French emperor felt towards the island because he often stopped in Poggio and drank some of this fresh, crystal clear water that also has both beneficial and healing powers.

In the beginning the water from the spring poured into a stone basin enclosed by an arch inside a public washouse but over the years much renovation work has been carried out. In the area directly opposite the spring you can also see what is called "Napoleon's Table", consisting of a low stone slab and a horizontal piece of an olive mill made from granodiorite that came from a nearby hydraulic mill in the valley.

In 1947 the entrepreneur Giuseppe Cacciò had the idea of having a water bottling plant built with the water from Fonte Napoleone, and had the Latin words "In aqua salus" engraved on the main wall, that is, "Water is health".

There is also a marble plaque near the niche where the water flows out that reads “Antichissima tradizione salutare e premurosi suggerimenti del suo popolo indussero Napoleone il Grande ad affidarsi fiducioso a questa fonte ivi cercando nuova salute e nuova lena per l'ala affranta dai cento voli gloriosi. Dal 23 agosto al 14 settembre 1814 qui dettando ai suoi fidi l'eterne memorie del folgorante passato risanava dei mali corporei e ne partiva guarito legando il Suo Nome all'acqua benefica per riprendere il suo fatale cammino. Giuseppe Cacciò iniziando nel 1947 la valorizzazione di questa ricchezza del sottosuolo elbano ha voluto ripristinare l’originaria fonte affinché gli ospiti sostandovi possano attingere dall’esempio del Grande la fede nelle sue prodigiose virtù curative”. (in short: Napoleon had great faith in the healing powers of this water, and from August 23rd to September 14th he stopped to drink the water and all his health problems disappeared enablng him to head forward. In 1947 Giuseppe Cacciò nad the springs renovated so as to allow others to benefit from the healing powers of the water).

Even today the Fonte Napoleone plant runs the bottling of the water that is low in mineral content and that no doubt you have drunk in many of the restaurants and pizzerias on the island.

Despite the existence of the plant, those who wish are free to drink the water directly from the source.