Municipality of Portoferraio
Name of inhabitants of the Municipality of Portoferraio: portoferraiesi
Patron Saint San Cristino – April 29
Population 12,000 inhabitants
Area 48.48 km²
Density 247.74 inhabitants / km²
Town Hall Address:
Municipality of Portoferraio
Via Garibaldi 17
57037 Portoferraio LI
Switchboard +39 0565 937111
Fax +39 0565 916391
Municipal Police 0565 937251
Email PEC comune.portoferraio@postacert.toscana.it
Institutional website www.comune.portoferraio.li .it
Portoferraio among the oldest municipalities on the island
The Municipality of Portoferraio among the oldest municipalities of the island, its origins date back to the Ligurians, the Etruscans and the Greeks before becoming a Roman colony with the name of Fabricia.
The capital and main port center of Elba, it is located on the north-eastern coast on a promontory that borders the bay to the north.
Portoferraio , in the aspect that we can still admire today, was built by will of Cosimo I dei Medici who, after renaming it Cosmopoli, began the great fortification works in 1548.
Portoferraio hosted Napoleon in 1814
In 1814 it hosted the exile Napoleon Bonaparte. Other places of historical and cultural interest are the Romanesque Church of S. Stefano alle Trane, the Church of the Blessed Sacrament , the Etruscan Fortress of Castiglione, THE MUSEUM NAPOLEONICO di SAN MARTINO for visitors the first in the Province of Livorno and the second in Tuscany after the Uffizi, the International Art Center of Italo Bolano, the Pinacoteca Foresiana and the Botanical Garden of Ottone.
In the municipality of Portoferraio it is find the Terme di San Giovanni. The localities of S.Giovanni, Schiopparello, Magazzini, Ottone, Carpani, Bagnaia, S. Martino, La Biodola, Viticcio and the island of Montecristo are part of the municipality of Portoferraio.
Fortification works of Portoferraio
The Medici fortifications were built by the architect Giovanni Battista Bellucci.
In one year, from 1548 to 1549, he built a stronghold consisting of three forts (Falcone, Stella, Linguella) connected to each other by solid and powerful walls.
In the old port area through the Porta a Terra, you can visit the Forte del Falcone , the Forte Stella and Forte della Linguella following, when possible, the walkways that connect them. Other historic fortifications of Portoferraio are Fortress Montebello (Monte Albero) and Fortress Sant St Cloud
Roman Villa of the Grotte
The ruins of an imperial era Villa Romana delle Grotte are located a few kilometers from Portoferraio, towards Bagnaia, in the locality called Le Grotte. They remained covered by brambles until 1960 when excavations brought to light the large complex with opus reticulatum walls, large terraces overlooking the sea and a swimming pool equipped with a heating and water purification system.
The localities
Portoferraio, Carpani, Enfola, Magazzini, San Giovanni, Acquabona, Acquaviva, Bagnaia, Brunello, Campitelle, Campo Ai Peri, Casa Del Duca, Le Foci, Norsi, Santo Stefano, Biodola, Scaglieri, Schiopparello, Scotto, Val Di Denari, Valcarene, Valdana, Valle Di Lazzaro, Viticcio
The beaches of the Municipality of Portoferraio
Grigolo beach, Viste beach, Le Ghiaie beach, Cala dei Frati beach, Padulella beach, Capo Bianco beach, Sottobomba beach, Seccione beach, Acquaviva beach, La Sorgente beach, Sansone beach, Enfola beach, Pinetina beach, Beach del Viticcio, Forno beach, Scaglieri beach, Biodola beach, Lamaia beach, Bagnaia beach, Ottone beach, Magazzini beach, Schiopparello beach.