Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano

Trail for families

• Trail Conditions: On foot
• Interest: Flora, Wildlife, Panorama, Religion, Hystory

• Departure: S.P. n. 37 del Monte Perone
• Arrival: S.P. n. 37 del Monte Perone
• Duration: 1 hour 5 min
• Difficulty Level: for families
• Length: 3.2 km
• Difference in height: Uphill 174m

The itinerary begins and ends on Province Road 37 "Monte Perone", 8 km from Marina di Campo. Pieve San Giovanni - the point of departure - is the most important of 16 Romanesque churches built on Elba between the 11th and 12th century. Their style is typically very sober, featuring a bell-gable crowning the front wall above the cross-shaped window. Take path No 124, which is flat and leads into a chestnut wood originally planted by man, but which has now become part of the natural landscape. Chestnut cultivation on Elba's mountains began in the 14th century, to use both the tree's valuable wood and its fruits: chestnuts - fresh, dried, or ground into flour - were for centuries the main food of people living on the western side of Mt. Capanne. It is not uncommon, when walking quietly at sunset, to spot mouflons or wild boars that will run away as soon as they see a hiker. Turn right at the junction with path No 107 coming up from San Piero. In the spring the place is white and yellow with the flowers of heather, rock rose and Spanish broom. At the end of the uphill stretch turn right at the junction (506 m a.s.l.) to take path 111. This is a short forest track, and its sandy surface is due to the action of weather on the surrounding granite boulders, resulting from complex and fascinating geological phenomena. Eagle fern grows abundant on the roadside during the spring. This plant is typically found in degraded environments: as a matter of fact, farming, shepherding, wildfires and reforestation have modified the original vegetation. The seemingly natural surroundings that we see today are the result thereof; especially in this area, that was used for sheep grazing and wheat cultivation. At the end of the track, a short downhill tarmac road leads back to the point of departure.