Grigolo Beach

Il Grigolo is Portoferraio's small town beach: it lies just outside the walls, right after the Torre della Linguella, looking over the harbour roads. It is a strip of gravel and pebbles about a hundred metres long, with a few rocks near the shore, where the boats of the Lega Navale sailing club are hauled up. More than a bathing beach it is a quiet spot by the sea, with a small garden and views of Forte Stella and its lighthouse and of the Maggiore and Pagliai bastions.

Getting there

You can only get here on foot from the historic centre: the nearest street is Via Bini, and the last stretch passes under an archway. The beach is not signposted and cannot be reached by car; some guides say access is open during the day, from 8 am to 7 pm. Leave the car in one of the town-centre car parks and walk a few minutes.

Facilities and tips

Facilities on the beach itself are few, but the bars, restaurants and shops of the centre are only a few dozen metres away. Quiet and somewhat neglected compared with the past, according to several guides, it is less suited to swimming because of the nearby port and ferry traffic. Il Grigolo is handy, though, for a break while exploring the Medici fortified town: on foot you can reach the Torre della Linguella, Forte Stella, Forte Falcone and the Palazzina dei Mulini, Napoleon's residence during his exile on Elba.