Hotel Santo Stefano

Museums

The island of Elba is remembered in history as the island where Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled.  In fact, Elba has many of the most important buildings with regard to the historical aspect of Napoleon’s short stay on the island. These include the Villa dei Mulini in Portoferraio , the Villa Demidoff in San Martino which is the second most visited museum in Tuscany after the Uffizi and Casetta Drouot in Poggio where you can meet Napoleon and Madame Walewska.

From the mineralogical point of view, the island of Elba is known worldwide for its complex geological structure. The variety of rocks and minerals is considered an open air museum. For those interested in the mining history  of the island of Elba, you can visit the Museo dei Minerali in Rio Marina, the Museo Archeologico in Rio nell’Elba, or the Parco Minerario di Calamita Capoliveri. A few years ago the Ginevro mine in Capoliveri was opened to the public which is an underground tunnel that runs on multiple levels for about 7 km with a depth of 50 m below sea level. The Ginevro mine is protected by UNESCO and can be visited by appointment.