Cannello beach in Capoliveri, Island of Elba

Cannello beach is right in the middle of the Calamita mine, in the southernmost part of the Island of Elba, better known as Costa dei Gabbiani ,inside the gulf between Punta Calamita and Punta dei Ripalti.

The surrounding area is breathtaking, and the scenery has clearly been greatly influenced by the extraction work carried out in the mines nearby .Layers of rock make the coastline stand out and the rocks overlooking the beach are red in colour due to the iron once extracted there. If you follow the path down you will see what is left of the extracting machinery used when the mines were still in use, like excavators and pieces of machinery now completely silent and left to the winds of time never to be used again.

Cannello beach is very wide and consists of large stones of different colours and sizes. Just like the other beaches in the mining area, the sand is dark coloured due to the iron dust, so the light coloured, grey and white stones and rocks are a beautiful, almost magical contrast to the dark sand that sparkles in the sun.

In the summer months the dark sand means that it tends to trap the heat of the sun so the beach is always very warm, and since there are neither any facilities nor shaded areas we strongly advise you to take a sun umbrella with you.

The water is crystal clear, the beach is almost always deserted, so this gives it a somewhat wild and rugged appearance.

Calamita beach is to the left, and this beach too is almost always deserted because it consists mainly of stones that are not comfortable to lie on, but it is without a doubt one of the most charateristic in the area. The surrounding area is full of what are clearly past excavations, and the towering structure of what used to be part of the washhouse that you can still see now stands in silence.

Mostly winds from the south blow along this part of the coastline.

How to get to Cannello beach

Cannello is one of the most difficult beaches to reach on the island, so it is perfect for those who love trekking or going out on their mountain bike, better still if either are combined with water sports. There are various ways to get there:

• One way is from Capoliveri, just follow the signs for the Mineral Museum (since 2018 most of the road has been surfaced), then park your car in the area outside the museum and continue on foot and go past the yellow-black barrier. The grit road continues for about 2 kilometres and takes you as far as the beach.
• On the other hand you can get to Cannello beach from Innamorata beach, but trekking might prove somewhat challenging, or if you prefer you can cycle there on a MTB; just follow the road for Calone that runs alongside the Old Railway.
• Your third choice if you want to get to the beach is to follow the path (kept clean because it belongs to the Capoliveri Bike Park) to the right of the museum that then joins up with the previous one.

We advise you to wear comfortable footwear and have a bottle of water at hand. It goes without saying that if you have a boat you can reach the beach by sea.