← Maratona dell'Isola d'Elba·Day trip

Portoferraio: Napoleon's Town on the Monday After

Portoferraio is Elba's ferry port and the place where Napoleon lived in 1814 and 1815, and it makes an easy Monday trip from Marina di Campo by bus.

DurationDay trip
TransitBus line 116 from Marina di Campo, check timetable
DepartsMarina di Campo

After the Maratona dell'Isola d'Elba: Portoferraio

The Route: Marina di Campo → Portoferraio → Marina di Campo Logistics: Bus line 116 links the two towns. Check the Monday timetable on livorno.cttnord.it. Marathon Month: May Duration: Day trip

Marina di Campo ──(bus 116, check timetable)──> Portoferraio ──(bus 116, check timetable)──> Marina di Campo

The Maratona dell'Isola d'Elba finishes in Piazza del Comune in Marina di Campo on a Sunday, and by Monday morning the calves have an opinion about stairs. Portoferraio is the island's main town and its ferry port, and bus line 116 runs there from Marina di Campo. Check the Monday timetable before leaving, because island bus services thin out outside summer and the last bus back matters more than the first one out.

May in Portoferraio is mild, the harbour is working but not crowded, and the season is only starting. Some seafront businesses are still opening, so do not build the day around one restaurant without checking its hours.

The old town

Napoleon arrived on Elba in 1814 and ruled it for about ten months. His town residence, the Palazzina dei Mulini, sits on the ridge above the harbour, and the approach from the port is a climb of steps and ramps. Do it slowly. Opening hours are seasonal and the Monday pattern is usually different from the rest of the week, so check the museum listing before going and expect an afternoon opening at best.

The streets inside the old town walls are narrow, and the harbour promenade below them is flat. After a marathon the harbour side is the kind choice, with the fortified ridge reserved for a steady, short walk. Fishing boats and ferries share the quay.

Food

Seafood is the obvious order in a port town. Ask for the day's catch rather than a fixed menu, and confirm prices before sitting down, because harbour restaurants vary widely. Several places close one day a week.

Getting back

Take bus 116 back to Marina di Campo and check the last departure before dinner. A taxi is the fallback, so ask at the harbour rank if the bus has gone.