Scattered between the Tuscan coast and Corsica, the seven islands of the Tuscan archipelago offer a striking contrast to mainland Tuscany. All are part of a protected national park, but each has its own character – some are lively, others tiny and sparsely inhabited. Montecristo and Gorgona are only accessible via strictly limited guided tours, but here’s a brief guide to the highlights of the other five.
As Italy’s third-largest island, and with a year-round community, Elba is the archipelago’s main tourist hub, blending Napoleonic history with rugged landscapes, lively seaside towns and fine beaches. It is famous for Napoleon’s brief 1814 exile at the Palazzina dei Mulini, but its history runs much deeper, with 16th-century Medici fortifications to defend against pirate raids around the coast, and medieval hill towns, some standing on sites occupied since Roman times, inland.
