PIANOSA ... a fascinating mirage riche of history

Pianosa is a wonderful little island that offers sweeping vistas and unspoiled scenery. Easily accessible from Elba starting from Marina di Campo, it is an unforgettable excursion, ideal for those who want to get in touch with nature. (Look now for your staying in Marina di Campo)

Thanks to the guided tours, as shown by the photos of Luca Giusti, nature guide and owner of Somareria dell'Elba, you can make trekking tours, mountain biking, kayaking, snorkeling and diving. In this corner of paradise history played an important role and made it a charming place, which today seems inhabited by the ghosts of the past. Just think of when it was conquered by the pirates sailing in the Mediterranean sea in search of food and water, until its transformation in a prison-island (already in 6-7 sec. a.C. and then more recently from 1850 to late 1990s), the italian Alcatraz, as rightly was called by the travel blogger Ilaria Vangi for FanPage.

As the name suggests, it is an island mostly flat (the highest point reaches 29 meters), with beautiful stretches of rocky coast alternated with sandy areas, such as the beautiful Cala Giovanna, docking point of the boats. From its picturesque white sandy beach, beside a sea of ​​innumerable shades of blue, is visible the Elba Island, just 13 km away. Looking on the right, ther eis the "town" once reserved to the "civil" population. It is really beautiful, with the ruins of the ancient Villa of Agrippa deported here in Roman times. But now it is all deserted and it seems doomed to a slow and inexorable decay. The catacombs are really interesting, partly brought to light a few years ago, which show that under the main city there was a network of over 3600 square meters of tunnels used for burials, and to escape persecution. All these areas are freely visited without any escort.

To the left, suddenly, the blue of the sea comes up against a gray and severe line: this is the wall wanted and built by General Dalla Chiesa, in the 70s, when the penal colony was turned into a maximum security prison, first for terrorists and then for the mobsters. This was the point of transition between free life and "prison" and although it was easy to circumvent, it had an important moral significance. Now go beyond this limit is possible but only if accompanied by guides, as some areas remain off-limits to visitors.

The island of Pianosa is under strict protected the Archipelago Toscano National Park that protects the look and the marina area. For this reason no more than 250 visitors a day can land here. They are also strictly prohibited fishing, diving, anchoring, parking, access and navigation except with prior authorization.

When the tourists leave, at the end of the day, the atmosphere is surreal and it seems to come back to the simple and hard life of past centuries ... the sound of the sea breeze mingles with the light waves crashing ... and nature becomes the only protagonist.

Photo by: Somareria dell'Elba and Elbamylove