La Paolina beach in Marciana, on the Island of Elba

This beach takes its name from the tiny island on the left hand side , a few metres from the shore, called after Napoleon Bonaparte's sister. According to the legend (that was probably started by a tour operator in the 60s) she used to love sunbathing on the rock.

In actual fact the original name of the beach was Castiglione.

At the top of the rock there are remains of a small building that dates back to Roman times surrounded by Mediterranean bush; its purpose is not clear but it is thought to have been used for educational and recreational purposes.

You can either swim out to the tiny island or walk there from the left hand side of the beach since the water is very shallow, and from here you can get to the nearby Redinoce beach.

Thanks to the fact that it is a tiny island, the crystal clear water, the enchanting sea bed and the woods rich in holm oaks situated at the back, the beach is naturally fascinating. It is quite a narrow beach, only 5/7 metres at its widest point and only a little less than 100 metres long, and consists of sand mixed with small stones.

A bathing establishment takes up about one third of the beach while the remaining part is free. At the small bathing establishment on the beach, "Bagni Paolina", there is a bar, and you can also hire sun umbrellas, sun beds, and pedalòs.

Where the beach is situated means it gets the sun only in the morning, and by the end of the summer it is in the shade from early afternoon onwards.

The view from here goes from Capo Enfola as far as the Guardiola promontory to the right of the long beach in Procchio.

How to get to the beach

The road to the beach is clearly signposted and is about 2 km from Procchio, in the direction of Marciana Marina.

Unfortunately there is no real car park here so you have to park your car in one of the few parking spaces where the road is wide enough. During the summer you can also get to the beach with the Marciana Marebus service that leaves from Procchio.

The beach is just below road level, but you have to go down about 75 wooden steps to get there; fortunately they are in the shade of beautiful holm oaks at the back of the beach. There is no access for the disabled.