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Published in the Feb/Mar 1998
issue of Wave~Length Paddling Magazine
Elba is the third largest Italian island
(after Sicily and Sardinia), and the largest in the Tuscan Archipelago. It has a
population of 30,000 and is 10 kilometers west of the mainland port of Piombino in the
Tirrenean Sea.
Its area is 224 square kilometers;
including 147 kilometers of coastline, of which 14 are beaches. The granite peak of Monte
Capanne, at 1019 meters, is its highest point.
Elba enjoys a typically Mediterranean
climate with mild winters and hot summers. Most of the rain falls in autumn and diminishes
throughout the winter and spring, with little or no rain in the summer.
Getting There
You can fly to the town of Marina di Campo on Elba from Bergamo, Pisa, Florence, Munich,
Milan, and Vienna. Most people drive or take the train to the ferries in Piombino which
arrive at Elba's largest town, Portoferraio, at least one an hour on a work day.
To drive to Piombino from the north take
the superstrada Livorno-Civitavecchia, and exit at San Vincenzo. From the south take the
Venturina exit. To get to Elba by train, on the Turin-Rome line change for Piombino at
Campiglia Marittima. It's an easy walk from train, to ferry, to the central bus station in
Portoferraio.
Kayaks
The Elba Sea Kayak Center, (http://www.seakayakitaly.com)
located in Marciana Marina, has a fleet of fiberglass kayaks and offers classes, tours,
and rentals. During the tourist season many of the beach businesses that rent chairs and
umbrellas also rent plastic kayaks by the hour.
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