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marciana |
| The high, isolated village of MARCIANA , up 4km of switchbacks from
Poggio, is the oldest settlement on Elba. It's the most alluring place
on the island, perfectly located between great beaches and the
mountainous interior. Its steep old quarter is a delight, narrow alleys,
arches, belvederes and stone stairs festooned with flowers and climbing
plants that culminate at the twelfth-century Fortezza Pisano (closed to
the public, but with great views). The only accommodation options are a
handful of rooms and apartments available at Bar La Porta (tel
0565.901.275; L90,000-120,000/46.48-61.98), located in Piazza Umberto at
the gateway to the village. The best restaurant is the award-winning
Osteria del Noce , high up at Via Della Madonna 19 (tel 0565.901.284;
closed Tues except in summer), with excellent mid-priced food and a
terrace with spectacular views. Way up beside the Fortezza at Via del
Pretorio 64 is little Monilli , a bar and paninoteca open daily until
2am perched over a wooded hillside. The main draw of Marciana is half-a-kilometre south of the village - the base-station of a cabinovia (cable car) that climbs 650m to the summit of Monte Capanne (1018m), Elba's highest point. "Cable car" is a misnomer: it's a series of small exposed cages, each of which is big enough for two people to stand up in, that are hooked onto a continually running cable: the open-air ride might give you the flutters. It runs in summer only (April-Oct daily 10am-12.15pm & 2.45-6pm; L13,000/6.71 one way or L21,000/10.84 return; takes 20min), lifting you slowly above the wooded hills and eventually above the tree-line to a levelled platform with a café. From here, it's a short scramble to the summit, from where the views are suitably stupendous. Another local attraction is one of Tuscany's very few vegetarian restaurants , Vegetariano alla Cabinovia (tel 0565.901.029; closed in winter), by a brook in the woods alongside the cabinovia base-station, which boasts an affordable menu of falafel and tabbouleh, lentils, seitan and tofu, wholewheat pasta and organic wine. |