MARINA di CAMPO – FONZA – CORALLINE – LACONELLA – LACONA
Starting point: Marina di Campo
Destination: Lacona
Length 15.9 km
Duration 3 h
Degree of difficulty: challenging due to its length, but it is possible to split the itinerary.
This itinerary is for experienced persons and should be done with fine weather.
From the beach of Marina di Campo paddle to the left of the gulf and between the coast and the small island of Port Caccamo: the kayak, with its limited draught is the only type of boat that can pass undamaged among the many emerging rocks. It is stable, easy to manage and thanks to the watertight compartments it can also carry dry clothes and a light picnic to eat on a beach.
But let’s get back to our itinerary. The sea is the color of emerald and the scent of the Mediterranean bush fills the air. You will soon reach the very charming Ischia inlet with its two pebble beaches set like precious stones inside the pink granite.
Next comes the Rota, small inlets hidden in the black cliffs following one after the other. After crossing the gulf of Fonza and having doubled Punta del Priolo you will reach Longio, where the white granite exalts the blue of the sea. The above Valley del Re recalls ancient legends of the island’s history. Double Punta Le Mete with on the right the Rock of the Triglia and reach first Ripa Nera and then the inlet Cala del Fico in which beautiful granite crystals decorate the vertical cliffs.
A bit further on, inside a small cave, there is a fresh water spring, destination of birds and sailors. Continue for the shallows Secca delle Coralline, an enormous granite column that goes down to 73 meters in a sea rich of life and incredibly transparent, in which elegant cormorants fly into the sea searching for their preys.
The pretty beach Paradiso, inaccessible to motor-boats, is the ideal place for a swim and a rest in the shade of a beautiful cave. Further on is Cala dell’Inferno, with a big seagull colony and a poseidonia meadow on the seabed, a perfect environment for many different fish species. After Punta della Contessa, behind which are some military lookouts from the Second World War, our excursion finishes on the beach of Lacona. Marina di Campo-Lacona is only one of the many stages in which one can divide the circumnavigation of the island. The coast of Elba is full of surprises.