Elba
- For other places with the same name, see Elba (disambiguation).
Elba (Latin: Ilva) is an island in Tuscany, Italy, 20 km from the coastal town of Piombino () . It is the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia. Elba and the other islands (Gorgona, Capraia, Pianosa, Montecristo, Giglio and Giannutri) of the Tuscan Archipelago are protected in the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago.
The island is divided into eight comunes: Portoferraio, Campo nell'Elba, Capoliveri, Marciana, Marciana Marina, Porto Azzurro, Rio Marina and Rio nell'Elba.
The land area of the island is about 224 km2 (86 square miles) and the coastline is about 147 km (91 miles). The highest mountain is Monte Capanne at 1018 metres (3340 feet).
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History
The island was well known since very ancient times for its iron resources. Mines were created by the Etruscans first and (after 480 BC) the Romans. The Greeks called it Aethalia (flame) after the flames of the furnaces for the metal production.
After the end of the Roman Empire, the island suffered for ravages from barbarians and Saracens. In the early 11th century it became a possession of Pisa. When the latter, in 1398, was sold to the Visconti of Milan, the Elba was acquired by the Applani, lords of Piombino, who retained it for two centuries. In 1546 part fo the island was handed over to Cosimo I de' Medici, who fortified Portoferraio, renaming it "Cosmopoli", while in 1577 the rest of the island returned to Appiani. In 1603 Philip II of Spain captured Porto Azzurro and built there two fortresses. In 1802 the island became a French possession, and its economy flourished.
Following the Treaty of Fontainebleau, French emperor Napoleon I was exiled to Elba after his forced abdication in 1814. He was allowed to keep a personal guard of six hundred men and was made the Emperor of the island. Although he was nominally sovereign of Elba, the island was watched (more or less) by British naval patrols. During these months, partly to pass the time and partly out of a genuine concern for the well-being of the people, he carried out a series of economic and social reforms to improve the quality of life on Elba. Napoleon stayed on Elba for 9 months and 21 days before he escaped and returned to France on February 26 for a Hundred Days. After his defeat at Waterloo he was subsequently exiled again, this time to the barren and isolated South Atlantic island of Saint Helena.
In the Congress of Vienna the island was given to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In 1860 it became part of the new unified Kingdom of Italy.
French troops landed on Elba on June 17 1944; liberating the island from the Germans. Faulty intelligence and strong defences made this battle more difficult than expected.
More recently, the island has become famed for its wine. It is today a renowned tourist resort.
Free-diver Jacques Mayol committed suicide there on December 22, 2001.
Trivia
- Napoleon's stay on the island is the basis for the famous English language palindrome: "Able was I ere I saw Elba."
References
- Chandler, David G. The Illustrated Napoleon. Henry Holt And Company.
External links
- Elba Geology a rich site about Elba's Geology.
- War story about the WWII battle for Elba
Categories
Islands of Italy | Wine regions of Italy | Tuscany