Archive for 'Islands'

If you’re planning to visit Elba Island during your next holiday to Tuscany then you might be interested to hear about its interesting ties with the famous military leader, Napoleon Bonaparte! Elba is the largest of the Tuscan islands and is extremely busy in July and August with holidaymakers.

Some visitors that want to come here for a few days prefer to come during the quieter months of April to May or September to October when they can relax in a more peaceful atmosphere and thrill in all the land and water activities available as well as lots of tourist attractions to visit!

There’s a huge selection of holiday villas on the Elba island.

Elba Island has been inhabited since the Iron Age by Ligurian tribes, followed by the Etruscans and then the Greeks. Pirates were regular visitors to Elba and many stories of their legacy remain behind in thrilling folklore.

If you enjoy going below the water surface to the marine world below then Tuscany has everything to satisfy your scuba diving and snorkelling needs! There is a wealth of fantastic villa rentals along the Tuscan coast for those who'd like to spend their holiday close to the sea.

Scuba diving and snorkelling have grown immensely in popularity over the past number of years; Tuscany alone has over fifty dive centres located around Livorno, including fifteen on Elba Island, ten in Argentario and Giglio Island.

In fact, Giglio Island is considered to be the most popular scuba diving spot in all of the Mediterranean!

Beginners have an abundance of lessons available from schools located all over the places mentioned above, and for those who don’t require tuition, there are plenty of water sport shops that rent the required equipment at a reasonable price.

Why not spend a few days of your next vacation to Tuscany exploring the seven islands of the Tuscan archipelago.

Nicknamed as the seven jewels of Tuscany, the islands of Elba, Giglio, Capraia, Montecristo, Gorgona, Pianosa and Giannutri are surrounded by crystal clear waters and teeming with excellent tourist attractions and wildlife.

Visitors wishing to base their stay close to this magnificent cluster of islands should book a stay a one of many holiday villas near Monte Argentario, with sea views along the coastline less than forty kilometres from Giglio Island by sea.

These entire islands make up the largest natural marine park in Europe and are highly protected nature reserves that protect the stunning landscape, animal and plant life here. Visit Elba Island and the areas of Porto Azzurro and Portoferraio here where there’s plenty to do and see.

Why not make a trip out to the glorious island of Capraia off the coast of Tuscany on your next vacation here? This wild paradise was once home to an abundance of wild goats which earned it the name ‘Aegylon’ by the Greeks meaning ‘Land of the Goats’! This is the third biggest island in the Tuscan archipelago; Elba and Giglio are the biggest.

At only twenty km2 in size, visitors won’t have any accommodation to choose from here but they could stay in a beautiful vacation rental along the coast on the mainland in Livorno, around sixty kilometres away by boat so a visit to Capraia would make for an excellent day trip! Capraia Island is only 32 kilometres North West of Elba Island if you also wanted to include a visit to it in your touring plans.

Capraia Island was created by a volcano thousands of years ago and tourists can see a ridge that stretches across the entire island that is the scar of its birth. This rugged ridge is nearly 450metres high at some points. There’s a spectacular lake here filling an ancient crater that supports a colourful array of wildlife, including a dainty rare species of flowering water lily that floats along the edge of the lake.

If you have an interest in the source of legends that have inspired many enchanting fairytales over the years then you’d love a visit to the famous island of Montecristo off the coast of Tuscany which is still known to this day as ‘Treasure Island’!

Although there’s no accommodation on the island itself if you wish to visit, there is a fantastic range of vacation rentals all along the Tuscan coast that offer magnificent views of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The legend of Montecristo Island talks of two consecutive tales.

One legend speaks of a dragon that used to live on Montecristo and would explode into a fire breathing rage if anyone dared to come close to the island. Only a man that became known later as Saint Mamiliano was brave enough to face the beast; he sailed out to the island and killed it, dumping its burned body into the sea. And there on the island he made his home in a simple cave.