Elba Island by motorbike

Day 1: Departure from Rome on 17 September at 14.30, we take the Rome-Civitavecchia motorway and then the via Aurelia for a total of about 260 km from home, we sleep near Piombino Day 2 18/09/2010: In the morning we get up around 8.00 and after preparing the motorbike, we go for breakfast and head towards Piombino, about forty kilometres away, where, at 11.10 we have the Moby ferry. Ferry cost € 77.00 motorbike and two passengers. We arrive at Portoferraio after about an hour of crossing, given the time we stop for lunch and then take a walk around the port and the old village, which deserves another visit, more calmly.

Towards 15.00 we head towards Capoliveri, the village where we took an apartment, not exactly by the sea, but located in a really nice and relaxing little wood, the name of the residence is "Villino nel Bosco", rental cost € 60.00, not bad, a lastminute taken on the internet, we take possession of the apartment, we rest a little, take a shower and then decide to go around the village, a very welcome thing, because it is a lovely village, truly a beautiful old village, full of places, pizzerias, ice cream shops, shops, and despite the period, there were many people around, mostly foreigners. Day 3 19/09/2010: we decide to go on foot to the beach near the apartment, about 1 km away, that is the one of Naregno, beautiful and quiet. We spend a relaxing day at the sea, we bathe several times, the weather helps us, and thank goodness given what the forecast said.

Towards 14.30 we return home, change and take a sightseeing tour by motorbike and go to visit Capo Perla and some really beautiful beaches, those of Pareti and dell'Innamorata, located in an enchanting position. Dinner with pizza in Capoliveri in a place with a splendid view of the sea, spent 15, really not bad. Day 4 20/09/2010: after breakfast, we go to the Coop supermarket, in Capoliveri, to buy something to eat, we return home to put everything down and head towards Marina di Campo, following a panoramic coastal road that offers us an unforgettable view, we stop at the beach of Lacona, beautiful, calm and very clean sea, in an enchanting gulf and near a very green pine wood. The pleasant temperature allows us to have several swims.

We stay until about 18 and then go to Marina di Campo, park the motorbike and take a walk around the village, a village of old fishermen's houses, restored and with a pedestrian island where you can walk easily. Towards 20 we take the road home, and at every bend breathtaking landscapes and sunsets await us…………………… Total km travelled 45 Day 5 21/09/10: Today no sea, unfortunately we get up in the morning and the weather is not the best, but anyway we do not lose heart, and decide to take a sightseeing tour by motorbike. The first destination is S.Ilario, near Marino di Campo, a small village on a hill, with a characteristic medieval hamlet.

After a tour of the village and a coffee, we take the road to Monte Perone, a narrow road, without guard rails and uneven, you have to be very careful, we park the motorbike and set off on foot along a beautiful path, marked by the CAI, which takes us to the summit of a mountain where you can admire a landscape of rare beauty and where you can also see different types of butterflies. We decide to eat the sandwiches we had with us at the top of the Monte to enjoy the panorama as much as possible. After a bit of relaxation, we take the road back, get back on the motorbike and go to Poggio, another really beautiful little village, which deserved a more careful visit, we take another coffee at a picturesque little square.

We get back on the motorbike and head to Marciana Marina, a port town also very nice and relaxing, we take a nice walk, but suddenly the rain advises us to take the road home (Capoliveri). We follow the coastal road that goes from Marciana Marina to Portoferraio and here too, still beautiful landscapes, beaches and inlets that deserve to be visited, hoping that the weather changes for the better. Total Km travelled 85. Day 6 22/09/2010: a ray of sun filtering through the windows wakes us, it is a beautiful day. We have breakfast, go out quite early to go to the sea and so we decide to go and have a coffee in Porto Azzurro, a village near Capoliveri, about 5/6 Km away. A little village with a tourist port and located in a beautiful bay.

We take the coffee, the cost a bit expensive, € 1.50, in a bar on the port, we take a walk around the village, full of little shops selling "knick-knacks", full of graceful little restaurants and ice cream shops, my wife and I wonder what it must be like in high summer, packed with people…………………….. Towards 10.30 we get back on the motorbike and go to the beach of Zuccale, right below Capoliveri, a tiny bay, but beautiful, white sand and crystal-clear water, as indeed we found everywhere. The temperature allows us to have several swims. We stay until evening to admire a fantastic sunset, a wise decision, because it was beautiful, a sunset with colours and a landscape all of its own. It is dark when we leave, we would have liked to stay the night too.

We decide to go and eat a pizza in Porto Azzurro, which at night has another charm, another walk around the village, where there is more movement of people, in the port there are some beautiful boats moored that were not there in the morning. Total km travelled 36. Day 7 23/09/2010: a beautiful sunny day greets us, no trace of clouds, breakfast on the little balcony of our apartment, we get ready and head towards Cavoli, the usual little seaside village, but with its charm and with a beautiful beach, white sand, rocks and very clean water. We have several swims, it could not be otherwise, a few jellyfish make their appearance, I do a bit of snorkelling, the seabed deserved it, sea bream, gilt-head bream, mullet and morays are what I saw in a short time. We stay until around 19.00.

We get back on the motorbike and take a panoramic tour of the coast that goes from Cavoli to Marciana Marina, to do a reconnaissance for the next visit to the island. Seccheto, Fetavaia, Pomonte, Chiessi, S.Andrea, are the little villages we come across, all located in a splendid position and overlooking the sea. Here the coast is wilder, few beaches, but they are places that certainly deserve a visit. A stretch of road is really risky, sudden landslides are signposted and you have to travel the road with great care. At a bend a sunset presents itself that forces us to stop to take photos and film with the video camera, a sunset with Corsica on the horizon, to its right the island of Capraia and to its left the island of Pianosa, all surrounded by a golden sea, it almost looked like a sheet of gold, we stay to admire the landscape until the sun disappears behind the mountains of Corsica.

We eat something in Marciana Marina, then we have a nice ice cream and a walk along the sea. We take the road home (Capoliveri) …….total km travelled 90 Day 8 24/09/10: this time it is a cloudy sky that greets us, alas, and it does not promise anything good, we decide to stay at home waiting for the weather to improve, and to pack the suitcases (duffel bags) calmly. Day 9 24/09/2010: Last day…………, we take the decision to take a motorbike tour along the coast from Porto Azzurro, up to Capo d'Arco, Rio Marina. We return to Portoferraio to take the ferry.......the holiday is over, but it was a wonderful week.