Campo alle Serre telegraph station

Looking out towards the Corsica Channel, the Telegraph in Campo alle Serre grants you a view that goes as far as Corsica, Pianosa and Capraia

History

Since  1861 onwards, thanks to the Union of Italy, it became absolutely necessary to install on a national level, a strategic network of watchtowers to control both the defence of the coasts and any navigational threats. The Telegraph station in Campo alle Serre was one of the most important ones in the Tuscan Archipelago, along with the one in Monte Grosso, on the eastern part of Elba, as well as that in Monte Arpagna on the island of Capraia.

It was thanks to a Umberto I of Savoia who sanctioned the decree to have it built in February 1888, with the aim of monitoring the maritime traffic in the Channel of Corsica, thus ensuring the navigational safety along the western coast of Elba. As well as keeping an eye on the routes, the telegraph had the task of giving off light at night that was very important when guiding the ships in the area when it was dark.

The telegraph stands very high up - 601 metres above sea level - and this made it a strategic watchtower, even though from time to time clouds around Monte Capanne limited the view. In an attempt to get round the problem, the lighthouse in Punta Polveraia was built, plus it was nearer the coast of Patresi.

Interesting fact: In February 1908, the telegraph station in Campo alle Serre was home to the writer Guido Milanesi who had to stay there as a military inspector. According to him, due to the tragic love story between young Marinella from Chiessi and the telegraph controller from Genova Osvaldo Schiaffino, Milanesi wrote his book "Thalatta" to tell the story.

In 1920 a meteorologic observation centre was set up, but the building itself came to an end as a military station at the end of World War II, even though as a meteorologic observation station it continued to register weather forecast data until 1953, the year that we presume to be the definite end of the telegraph station.

Architecture

The telegraph station of Campo alle Serre was built in a unique way, that looks more like the bridge of a ship. The building looks like two builings have been joined together: the main part, used as sleeping quarters, and a smaller part where the aerophone was kept.