Galenzana beach in Marina di Campo on the Island of Elba

Galenzana is a very quiet and peaceful, enchanting beach consisting of sand and small pebbles, just off Marina di Campo.

The beach is on the western side of the Gulf of Marina di Campo, and looks onto the Pisan tower and the whole promontory, including the peninsula of Fonza, as far as the promontory of Capoliveri.

A unique characteristic of this beach in all of Elba is that you can't see the open sea from here, but only a small stretch of land and this is why Galenzana is sheltered from practically every type of wind, depending of course on how strong they are; an odd time it may get some wind coming from the east, but this happens very seldom on the island of Elba.

Since it isn't one of the easiest beaches to get to it is never busy, so if you decide to go there you can be sure that even in the summer you will have a private and exclusive beach.

The beach itself is completely untouched, as is the surrounding environment, a typical Mediterranean bush rich in pine trees, holm oaks and tamarisks that almost reach the beach.
The entire area is of breathtaking beauty: the sea is crystal clear and has a variety of different hues, and it is rich in Posidonia and interesting sea fauna if you are a snorkelling lover.

The water is ver shallow in some parts so this makes it perfect for small children.

There is a "blue area" on the beach where you can hire sun umbrellas and sun beds, making your stay on the beach somewhat more comfortable.
There is also a stone landing wharf for small boats at the far right of the beach, as well as another wall that shelters it even more from the eastern/south eastern winds.

There is also another interesting aspect to this beach: centuries ago, as far back as the Etruscan times, when Elba was exploited for its iron ores, there were many furnaces used for melting the iron before loading it on to the boats.
This wasn't because the area around Marina di Campo was rich in iron, but simply because it was rich in woods so there was no shortage of wood for the ovens. Since tons of wood were needed each time the iron was melted. they preferred to transport it near the woods, and then transport it to the beach for loading, because that way the melted metal was less bulky than when it was extracted.

Today you can still see traces of this past activity on the beach, like numerous fragments of cast iron, that look like dark brown or black smooth stones that are the same colour as iron.

There are only two ways to get there: by sea, or on foot along a path that is easy to reach. Start off at the bottom of the stairway in Piazza da Verrazzano, in the centre of Marina di Campo.

You will come to a couple of signposts, then follow the path for about 1,5 km (it should take you about 10/15 minutes) in the heart of lush, Mediterranean bush. Keep to the left each time you come to a junction until you reach the tiny votive chapel, then turn left and go right down to the beach.