Rio Marina Beach

Rio Marina's beach, known as La Torre beach, is right in the heart of the village on Elba's east coast, behind the breakwater and below the Torre degli Appiani, a tower built in the 16th century that now serves as the clock tower. It is a small beach, only a few dozen metres long, made of fine and medium gravel smoothed by the waves and mixed with dark sand that glitters with haematite dust, which locals call oligisto.

Getting there

Leave your car in one of Rio Marina's car parks and walk along the seafront to the tower, which you can see from all over the village. The beach lies below the Spiazzi, the short panoramic promenade above the sea that leads to the quay.

Which wind to go with

The beach is sheltered from westerly winds such as the mistral, while it is exposed to winds from the east.

Facilities and tips

There are showers on the beach, and nearby you'll find umbrella, lounger and pedalo rental, sailing and diving schools, bars, restaurants, shops and a pharmacy. Rio Marina was the centre of the island's iron mining: the mines, worked since Etruscan and Roman times, closed in 1981, and since 1991 the area has been part of the Elba Mining Park. The Museum of Minerals and Mining Art, in the Palazzo del Burò, displays Elban minerals and reconstructions of mine galleries; from here the little tourist train takes visitors into the old mines, with a stop to collect samples of pyrite and haematite.