Rio nell'Elba
This village is perched on a hill at about 170 meters above sea level, on the northeast side of the Island of Elba.
It is among the most ancient villages of the island - its origins date from the Bronze Age - and preserves various traces of its past which include marine archeological finds.
Rio nell'Elba, famous for the iron mines that date back to the Etruscan period, was the most important mining center until the shut down of all the ore bodies.
There is a wide variety of minerals exhibited in the local museum, the "Museo della Gente di Rio". Other places of historical and cultural interest are: the Volterraio Castle, the Parish Church of Santi Giacomo e Quirico, the Oratory of Santa Caterina and the Church of Santissima Trinità. The Islet of Cerboli is also administered by the Commune of Rio nell'Elba.
Parish Church of Santi Giacomo e Quirico
This church was built during the 11th century, destroyed various times by pirates and rebuilt. Today the exterior structure is Renaissance while the interior is definitely Baroque.
Church of Santa Caterina
This small sanctuary dates from the 16th century and includes a hermitage. It is situated on the road to Nisporto near ancient Grassera, a medieval village destroyed by pirates in the 1500s.
Easter Monday is the day in which the apparition of the saint is celebrated and it is custom to eat dried fig as a symbol of devotion.
Volterraio Castle
This Pisan fortress dates from the 11th century and was built over an Etruscan acropolis. It is perched on a cliff 380 meters high, dominating the Bay of Portoferraio. It can be reached through the road that connects Rio nell'Elba to Magazzini.
The beaches
Nisporto (sand), Nisportino, Bagnaia (sand and shingle), Le Secche e Mangani (shingle).
