Portoferraio
Chief town and main port center, it is situated on the north-east coast, on a promontory that closes the gulf towards the north.
Portoferraio is one of the island's most ancient towns: its origins date back from the Ligurians, the Etruscans and the Greeks, before becoming a Roman colony called Fabricia.
The plan of Portoferraio, as we can admire it today, is due to the will of Cosimo I dei Medici who after changing the name to Cosmopoli, in 1548 also began the great defensive works.
In 1814, the city gave refuge to the exiled Napoleon Bonaparte. Other places of historical and cultural interest are the Romanesque Church of Santo Stefano alle Trane, the high-ground Etruscan Fortress of Castiglione, Villa dei Mulini and Villa San Martino, the International Art Center of Italo Bolano, the Pinacoteca Foresiana and the Botanical Garden at Ottone.
In the municipality of Portoferraio is the San Giovanni Spa. Also administrated by the Commune of Portoferraio are the localities of San Giovanni, Schiopparello, Magazzini, Ottone, Carpani, Bagnaia, San Martino, Biodola, Viticcio and the Island of Montecristo.
The Fortification
The Medicean fortification was designed by the architect Giovanni Battista Bellucci.
In one year, from 1548 to 1549, he built a stronghold made of three forts (Falcone, Stella, Linguella) connected together by solid and powerful walls.
From the ancient port, through the gate Porta a Terra, you may visit the three forts, named Forte Falcone, Forte Stella and Forte della Linguella, by following, where still possible, the wall-walk that connects them.
Roman villa
A few kilometers from Portoferraio, towards Bagnaia, in the hamlet called Le Grotte, there are the remains of a Roman villa from the Imperial period. These were covered by plants and shrubs until 1960 when the digging brought to light the great complex with walls in opus reticulatum, big terraces overlooking the sea and a pool with heating and water cycle system.
The beaches
To the east: Bagnaia (sand and shingle), Magazzini (shingle), Ottone (sand and shingle), Schiopparello (shingle).
To the west: Acquaviva (shingle), Biodola (sand), Capo Bianco (shingle), Enfola (very fine shingle), Forno (sand), Le Ghiaie (oval pebbles), Padulella (shingle), Scaglieri (sand), Seccione (shingle), Viste (sand and shingle), Viticcio (sand and shingle).
