Fonza beach in Marina di Campo, on the Island of Elba

The beach isn't very long - about 95 metres - and is 8/10 metres at its widest point. It consists of large stones that are however smooth and flat, so all in all quite "comfortable" to sit or lie on; most are grey, some are beige, and in some parts of the beach there is fine sand too. On the right hand side of the beach there is sometimes a layer of poseidonia that the tide has brought in, and on both sides of the beach there are  big stones that are not suitable at all for sunbathing.

A peculiarity of this beach is that even if it consists of stones, the sea bed is made up of  very fine sand, , much like the nearby Marina di Campo beach and the water is shallow till quite far out for at least twenty metres so it is perfect if you want to play or wade in the sea .

On the right you can just see the gulf of Marina di Campo; the island of Montecristo, only about 45 kilometres away, is practically opposite the beach.The tiny rock known as La Triglia one of the Island of Elba's "paradises" for scuba diving, is much nearer.

The gulf is very wide, with Mediterranean scrub on the hills behind and on the promontory on the right facing the sea. Although very sheltered from most of the winds coming from the north it is on the other hand exposed to the libeccio and, above all, the winds from the south-south west.

Bear in mind however that there are no facilities  at all on the beach.

How to get to Fonza

As you go out of Marina di Campo, on the road to Lacona, head for the Elba Aquarium, then about 150 metres farther along turn right along a grit road and look for the sign saying "Fonza".

Go past the entrance to the famous degli Ulivi campsite  and keep going for about 2.5 km. It is a grit road, and has many potholes, so it is not suitable if you have a low car, or a motorbike meant for normal roads.

There is no car park, but there are  one or two spaces at the side of the grit road that goes right down to the beach.