The route with iron footholds on Monte Capanne - Path No. 100

The "Massimo Russo" route with iron footholds on Monte Capanne

The No. 100 path is the only one of the Elba pathways to be classed as EEA, (expert excursionists with equipment). If you decide to follow it you need to have all the necessary equipment.

It ia a route that is particularly tricky. The entire area is often slippery due to the dew, there are many narrow paths in between the rocks, slopes with overhanging rocks and vertical climbs where you need to be very careful. Many of the exposed tracks are very dangerous so do not tackle them if you have little experience and no equipment, and for this reason there are iron footholds along the way. This is why it is called the Iron footholds route of Monte Capanne.

Path No. 100 is across the ridges of the highest summits on the island that is along a very suggestive route. Those expert excursionists who are very careful and who decide to face the challenge will be granted a breathtaking panorama and on their way up they will be able to admire all the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago as well as Corsica. The vegetation is typicall of the cliffs that over the years has adapted to difficult environmental conditions.

This is one of the important routes in Elba; it goes right across the GTE at both ends and in Le Filicaie is only a few hundred metres from the GTE junction.

Iron footholds route of Monte Capanne is so called in memory of Massimo Russo who was both an athlete and an organizer of the running trail races and who is very famous both on the Island of Elba and elsewhere.

: Departure: Monte Perone
Arrival: Marciana, Pisan Fortress
Average time: Path No.100 - 3 h 40 min / the whole route 6 h 05
Length: Path No. 100 - 3,56 km
Difference in height: 244 m
Total ascent: 336 m
Total descent: 175 m
Routes covered: GTE, Path No. 100, GTE north, Path No. 110, No. 103
Difficulties faced:EEA Expert Excursionists with Equipmentp

If you decide to take on the path No. 100 you have to start off at the picnic area of Monte Perone then from here follow the GTE along the Butterfly Path. Keep going for approximately another 1,5 km, and, past Monte Maolo and at a height of 749 m you will get to the junction for the No. 100 path which is exactly where the path with iron footholds starts.

Approximately one hour later the No. 100 path gets you to the beathtaking height of Le Calanche (897 m).

In Le Calanche you will find the junction for path No. 123, a 700 m long route that joins up with No. 107; head northwards and you will get back to the GTE route near Monte Perone and walk clockwise.

If you continue along path No. 100 you will remain at the same altitude and get to Le Filicaie (894 m), then go slightly downhill to the scenic Foce delle Filicaie, also called Malpasso. The path then goes uphill again along another path with footholds as far as Monte Capanne, the highest mountain on the island.

From Monte Capanne if you keep following No. 100 the path becomes more and more challenging. You then go up the slopes towards Monte di Cote, going through The Prison (967 metres) that, with its two granite columns seen from below, remind us of a ship's bow, and The Plank (935 metres) where the rige becomes wider.

Here, near the end of path No. 100 you can still see what is left of an old caprile (shepherd's hut).

Once at The Plank you need to go down the Northern GTE that in no time gets you to the path No. 110 which you need to keep following until path No. 103, and that takes you back to the Pisan Fortress in Marciana.