What to do in Elba if it rains

Fortunately it doesn't rain very often on the Island of Elba: not only do the winds make the winters mild and help to cool us down in the summer but they also blow the dark clouds away and make the sky blue again. However, if you wake up one morning to a dull and cloudy sky, don't worry: there are many welcoming and interesting places to go and see.

All the small towns on the Island of Elba are well worth even a short visit even if just to walk along the narrow lanes and alleys, or cross the squares, or go and visit the museums and exhibitions.

[img index="0" params="format=ms&class=image-l"][Iimg]If you are on the eastern part of the island, why not go and visit one of themineral museums in Porto Azzurro, Rio Marina or Rio nell'Elba? They are true treasure chests, full of very beautiful and much enviedmineral crystallizations that have made Elba world famous.

If you go to Capoliveri, make a point of going to see the mines on Monte Calamita, with their Old Office museum inside. Ginevra mine, for example, as well as being one of the mines temporarily on "standby" so to speak, that is, that can be re-opened should the need arise or in the case of an emergency, is also the only mine you can go into to have a look at on the Island of Elba.

If, on the other hand, you're not particularly interested in minerals, in Capoliveri you can always go to the Sea Museum and see the exhibition of the "Polluce shipwreck of Capoliveri".

If you want to admire the breathtaking view of the Gulf of Campo from high up, head for San Piero or Sant'Ilario, both tiny and very characteristic, hillside villages very near to one another.

The fact that Elba's history is closely connected to iron extraction and mines can clearly be seen by the presence of the numerous mines spread all over the island. In San Piero, for example, there is a Museum of minerals and gems in the memory of Luigi Celleri who dedicated much of his life to the study of gems on the western side of Elba.

From Marina di Campo you may wish to head for Marciana and Poggio by going round the western ring road.It's a very scenic road to take, with a different panoramas/strong> at each bend you take. Stop along the way at any of the many lay-bys and take in the beauty of the scenery that is even more enchanting after the rain.

Once you get to Marciana stop at the Archaeology Museum or go and see the Pisan Fortress, but if you prefer walking go in search of the hidden secrets of the tiny and truly fascinating village of Poggio that is only 3 kilometres away.

If you are near Portoferraio and haven't yet visited the Napoleonic Museums then a rainy day is the perfect opportunity. So what if the view of the gardens from the imperial windows of the Palazzina dei Mulini or from the Villa in San Martino is much better on a sunny day; go round all the rooms where Napoleon once walked, so that you can fully appreciate the thoughts and sensations of this great emperor forced to stay in an empire much smaller than his own.

Still in Portoferraio, you could go and visit the small Museum of Napoleonic Antiques, or the Foresian Picture-gallery inside the De Laugier Cultural Centre or the Archaeology Museum of the Linguella.

If you enjoy a glass of good wine, there are farms all over Elba where you can taste their excellent local table and sweet wines.