The Charm of Elba

For a long time my brother-in-law Max and I had been longing to take a holiday on the Island of Elba, but every time some mishap forced us into a painful surrender. The decisive choice took shape one afternoon in late August, when, leafing through a magazine devoted to diving, an Elba diving centre offered a very tempting all-inclusive package — hotel, ferry and dives for a trouble-free weekend. We seized the chance at once and after a phone call with the kind Tiziana (the diving centre's manager) the deal was done. The Marina di Campo Diving Centre, in the village of the same name where we stayed, booked the hotel for us.

The Hotel dei Coralli, which sits in the centre, surrounded by a lush pine wood, 100 metres from the beach, is a very nice 3-star hotel with 62 rooms; it has its own car park, a swimming pool, a bike service for lovely rides, a well-equipped gym, a tennis court, five-a-side football, basketball (three on three) and a refined kitchen. Elba offers us places and scenes of enchantment, such as Marciana Marina, home to the sanctuary of the Madonna del Monte, dating from the 17th century; Monte Capanne, the island's highest peak at 1018 m above sea level; Cavoli, near which lies the famous Grotta Azzurra, reachable only by boat; and the Gulf of Campo, where Marina di Campo, one of the island's best-known tourist resorts, is located. One of the most interesting excursions is to San Piero in Campo, near which stands the Pisan Tower of S. Giovanni.

Here you can admire a wonderful panorama along the via Bellavista. And finally Portoferraio, the island's most important port and present-day capital. The trip took place over a weekend in October; the crossing from Piombino to Portoferraio with the Mobby company lasts about an hour, and after another twenty minutes by car we crossed the island from north to south, arriving at our destination. We went straight to Tiziana, who was waiting to welcome us and give us the latest instructions while our dear wives stood guard over the car parked in a no-parking zone. Off to the hotel for a freshen-up and then for a stroll, peering into the alleys of the old town that opens onto the seafront, where moored was the boat that the next day would take us into transparent water able to show us walls carpeted with great fans of red gorgonians, as well as yellow and white ones.

Reefs dominated by the vivid orange of Parazoanthus, offering refuge to lobsters, groupers and octopuses. But also wrecks and, a little deeper, the very rare and sought-after red coral (corallium rubrum). The temperature was pleasant and, given the season, it wasn't crowded. The little gulf is very evocative and at night fills with many small lights that make it look a bit like a nativity scene, with countless reflections on the calm water. In the Molo Nuovo area, Kontiki is a restaurant where the fish served by Mimmo rewarded us for the day's efforts. The next day a tour of the island along a comfortable coastal road that took us to admire a succession of coves set in the blue of the sea and tiny villages with an old-world flavour.

The afternoon was devoted to our favourite sport, diving — lobsters and breathtaking walls together with a group of other divers who had come from Romagna and mainland Tuscany. Aboard Stefano's boat (Tiziana's husband), a 15-metre fishing vessel skilfully fitted out for diving, a powerful compressor and 40 tanks always available (a pity the charge was only 180-190 atm), the boat was not very fast but practical and comfortable; the little on-board bar was well stocked for the breaks between one dive and the next. Meanwhile our ladies had already scoured the whole town, already savouring the shopping they would do, naturally funded by their husbands. On the morning of the following day we returned to sea for two more dives, with a final spectacle provided by a school of barracuda that, in concentric whirls, came to bid us farewell — or rather, to say see you on the next holiday.

After finally putting away the diving gear, we gave ourselves over to pure idleness: deckchairs, beach and sun, rightly in the company of our other halves. Late in the evening we returned to Piombino and then set course for home, sharing the emotions that this strip of land had entrusted to us, in the hope of returning as soon as possible.