When visiting the Tuscany region of Italy, most people see the usual cities like Siena, Montepulciano, Florence, Perugia, and Cortona. However, these places can get very crowded, especially during the height of the tourist season.

There is a wonderful alternative place to visit in the region that is a mere ferry ride away from the coastal town of Piombino. It's the island of Elba, an 86-square-mile gem in the Tyrrhenian Sea. If the name sounds familiar, it may be because Napoleon Bonaparte spent 1814 to 1815 in exile there; after that, he abdicated the French throne.