Rio Marina
Rio Marina is situated on the eastern part of the island inside a small inlet surrounded by hills. These hills are characterized by a red earth which is due to iron oxide mining activity in the past.
In this area the iron oxide extraction took place as far back as the Etruscan period and was, together with fishing, the main activity of the Rio Marina inhabitants until just a few decades ago.
Today Rio Marina is a seaside resort with all the necessary facilities for its visitors. The autonomous Commune was established in 1882, when it was separated from Rio nell'Elba with which it still shares its history. From the port there are connections with the mainland, as an alternative to Portoferraio.
Places of historical and cultural interest are: the Church of San Rocco, the embattled tower in the port and the Mineral Park of the Island of Elba.
The district of the Commune of Rio Marina also includes the village of Cavo, which can also be reached on foot in order to also visit the charming Tonietti Mausoleum.
Other hamlets are Capo d'Arco, Ortano and Porticciolo.
Rio Marina also administrates the Island of Palmaiola.
Mining Museum of the Island of Elba
Open from April to October.
Here it is possible to see the variety of minerals present in different parts of the island - there are about 1000 selected specimens - and to visit the mine. From a geological aspect, the island is divided into 3 areas.
The western area with Mount Capanne is constituted mainly by granite, tourmaline, beryl, serpentine and porphyry.
The middle area is made of diabase and serpentine to the east, quarziferous porphyry, alberese (a local sedimentary marly calcareous stone) and granite, to the west.
Finally, the eastern area presents a more complex composition: the southern side of Mount Calamita and the area of coast between Porto Azzurro and Rio Marina are made of Paleozoic mica-schist, feldspar, quartz, tourmaline, marble and dolomite rock. In the area surrounding Capoliveri there is porphyry and calcareous rock; the northern area is the richest in iron minerals, such as oligist, limonite, and magnetite; there are also schists of slate and carbon schist, Permian sandstone, pudding stone and mesozoic limestone.
The last iron cave on the island was closed in October 1981.
Church of San Rocco
This ancient building was commissioned by the Prince of Piombino in 1570.
Embattled Tower in the Port
This tower has an octagonal base and was commissioned by Giacomo V Appiano in 1534 as a lookout and for defence.
Cavo
This village is part of the Communal district of Rio Marina and is situated at the northernmost point of the Island of Elba at the foot of Mount Grosso.
It is a seaside resort with all the tourist facilities and a sandy beach reaching Capo Castello, where the remains of a Roman villa from the 1st century AD are situated. There is also a beautiful rocky coast that stretches from Capo Castello to Capo della Vita. The small port is the closest to the mainland and is equipped with water and petrol for yachts.
A famous guest to Cavo was Giuseppe Garibaldi, who in 1849 stopped briefly on his way to the Island of Caprera.
Tonietti Mausoleum
This unique construction in the Art Nouveau style which rises from the island?s wild vegetation was designed by the architect Gino Coppedè (Florence 1866 - Rome 1927) and was commissioned by the Tonietti family as their sepulchral chapel.
The Tonietti family were the first concessionaires of the iron mines on the east coast of the Island of Elba after the unity of Italy.
Among the works of Coppedè is the district of Via Dora in Rome.
The beaches
Cala dell'Alga (sand and shingle), Cala Seregola (sand and pebbles), Fornacelle (sand and shingle), Lungomare di Cavo (sand and rocks), Marina di Gennaro (sand and shingle), Ortano (sand and rocks), Porticciolo (sand and shingle), Rio Albano (sand), Rio Marina (sand and shingle), S. Bernardo (sand and shingle), Topinetti (sand), Vigneria (sand and rocks).
