Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano

Trail for families

• Trail Conditions: On foot
• Interest: Flora

• Departure: Loc. La Foce, Marina di Campo
• Arrival: Loc. La Foce, Marina di Campo
• Duration:  50 minutes
• Difficulty Level: for families
• Length: 2.7 km
• Difference in height: Uphill 53m

This short and easy walk begins in La Foce, which is the eastern end of the beach of Marina di Campo. After a few metres along the cliff take path No 248, which winds between the houses, briefly merges with Via Ischia and then branches off on the right. The highlight of this walk is the open view on the bay of Marina di Campo: looking south you can see in succession the 16th-century port tower, the bay of Galenzana, Mt. Poro with its lighthouse, the island of Montecristo on the horizon and, by the coast, the small Scoglio della Triglia; on the right the ancient villages of San Piero and Sant'Ilario overlook the bay. This was the background of important events in the history of Elba: on 17 June 1944 at dawn, 220 Allied boats with 12,000 men departed from Corsica to free Elba from German occupation and landed on the beach of Fonza. Resume your walk in the rosemary-scented air and, shortly before reaching Casa Ischia, walk down to a tiny gravel beach where the vegetation is totally different. Only plants that adapted to the rocky coast can grow here, as they are able to use the nighttime humidity and stand high salinity, strong winds, heat and dryness. They are small plants like the sea fennel, that has fleshy and aromatic leaves, or Limonium, that grows in the rocky crevices; orange, green, brown and white lichen spot the naked rocks, and the spiny rush grows in bushes and was once used for basketwork. From the beach you can either walk back to the point of departure or, if you are suitably fit and equipped, go on to the beach of Fonza: the path is steeper and rougher, and the walk takes about half an hour. Path No 248 continues to the island's northern coast.