They say that the British have colonised Tuscany – going so far as to call it Chiantishire – but there’s one part of Tuscany which so far has resisted a 21^st Century invasion by Inglesi, and that’s the island of Elba. On a recent visit, although twice hearing a little bit of German, it was obviously a holiday destination for Italians, which makes it all the more authentic and charming.

Most visitors arrive by ferry from Piombino to Portoferraio, interestingly two place names which indicate the minerals (lead and iron) which gave rise to industries in the past. Piombino still bears the scars, an industrial carcass of an immense rusting steel works slowly collapsing into a gigantic tangle of pipes, gangways, conveyor belts, dented roofs and bulging walls.