Three different excursions are scheduled Wednesday, 27 May, participants can choose one of them:
1. Pianosa Island, unforgettable experience
Departure: 12.00 pm bus transfer to Marina di Campo
1:00 pm boat dep. from Marina di Campo
Return: 6.00 pm from Pianosa
6.45 pm bus transfer to Hotel Hermitage
Tour description
This tour will take you to one of the most impressive islands of the Tuscan archipelago: Pianosa, a former high security prison and now a beautiful National Park.
After many years spent in solitude, and after the famous jail closed, the island of Pianosa has opened its doors to a restricted number of visitors.
The accessible areas are still fairly limited and include the outskirts of the harbour area and the village, and excursions may only be taken with a professional guide. In the village visitors are welcomed by the unusual architectural style of Pianosa harbour built by Ponticelli, one of the first prison governors. Equally fascinating is the Teglia Fortress, an historic building dating back to Napoleonic age. A walk along the beach will take you to the back of the ruins of the baths of Agrippa Postumus; he was confined and then killed on Pianosa to allow Tiberius to take power.
Then you’ll have free time for lunch and for a swim in the crystal clear waters of Cala Giovanna, one the most beautiful bays on the island and the only authorised place for swimming. You’ll then return by boat to Marina di Campo.
This tour is an unforgettable and unique experience on the island that is also known as Devil’s Island, where only a limited number of passengers are allowed to disembark every day
(Closed and comfortable shoes, long pants, sunscreen and drinking water are highly recommended)
2. Porto Azzurro & Wine Tasting
(max 50 participants)
Duration: Approximately 3 ½ hours
Departure at 3.00 pm
Transport: A/C De Luxe Coach
Tour description:
Departure from Hotel Hermitage by bus. The Island will be crossed from North to South until the Gulf of Lacona, at this point we proceed to Golfo Stella with arrival to Porto Azzurro. There will be ample opportunities to enjoy the landscapes taking fantastic pictures.
At Porto Azzurro we will have time to browse along the charming streets of this town dominated by an ancient Spanish fortress. The town also boasts a pretty fisherman’s harbour and numerous shops selling minerals and crystals. You can also enjoy a drink in the little square overlooking the sea and then rejoin the bus. On the way back will be a stop at the winery “ Sapere” for a sample of the local wines.
Wine tasting includes:
Wine tasting in glasses of Elba wines ( red, white and rosé) served with toasted bread with
olive oil, bruschettas, salami and cheese. Tasting of the typcal Elba cake “torta briaca” (which first and defining ingredient is Aleatico, Elba’s very own sweet red wine, which lends the cake its rosy colour, boozy flavour and name,) served with passito wine (Passito is an Italian term for wines made from grapes that have been dried prior to vitification).
3. Walking tour of Portoferraio
(max 50 participants)
Departure from the Hotel Hermitage at 11:45 am by bus
h. 12:30 Visit to the Museo Civico Archeologico della Linguella
Opened in 1988, the Museum of Archeology is in the old salt store rooms of the Linguella Medicean Fortresses. You can see Etruscan and Roman remains from all of the Tuscan Archipelago that go from the VIII century BC to the V century AD, clear evidence of the importance of Elba and the other islands in Mediterranean sea commerce. Remains like amphoras, vases, arms and instruments from shipwrecks, offshore fortresses, necropolis and pleasure villas, tell us of a century old culture.
Lunch on the beach
Visit of the Portoferraio Historical Center and visit to "Villa dei Mulini"
Today the Palazzina dei Mulini, once the official residence of Napoleon, is a National Museum. Built in 1724 by the Grand Duke Gian Gastone de' Medici, the original building wasn't what it's like now, because Napoleon had some alterations done by the Livorno architect Paolo Bargigli to suit his own needs better: the central part that connected the two original buildings was made higher so he could have a ball room.
The entrance is on the ground floor, and the main rooms of the Emperor's apartment are connected by a corridor: the first room you come to is the main room, then the library and the bedroom. Going past the stairs that lead to the ball room, originally for Maria Luisa, but only used by his sister Paolina, you get to his studio and the room for his pages.
Guided visit of Forte Falcone (Fortezze medicee)
They are the Medicean ramparts, built by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo l as a defence against the Turkish attacks. It sits on the highest hill in Portoferraio (79 metres a.s.l.); you get to the Fort by following a winding road starting in Via della Regina that takes you up to the entrance, proceeded by a forepart dating back to the year 1700. Above the magnificent wooden door that has been completely restored, there is a marble plaque the same as the one in Porta a Mare and at Fort Stella, in memory of the Grand Duke Cosimo l, founder of Cosmopoli.
Once you have gone through the door, that in the past was protected by a drawbridge, you find yourself in a circular vault, leading on to all the internal corridors that, with their slits looking out onto the moat, were the Fort's centre. Walking up a slope you then get to the ramparts that defend the land side of the Fort. On the left there is a slab in memory of Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi, the politician and writer who was held prisoner here in 1848; under the floor there is a large cistern(still in use), used for collecting the rain so as to ensure a water supply in the event of their being attacked.
Return to the hotels h. 18:00
If you are interested in one of the above excursions, please register you and your companions as soon as possible (and anyway before May 25 - number of participants is limited)
