 Geography,
Morphology and Climate
Apart from Pianosa, which morphology is well indicated
by its name, all islands of the Tuscan archipelago are mountainous
with an irregular coast-line with mortises, sand bays, creeks
and inaccessible cliffs which have been modelled by the blustering
winds and strong waves. The morphologic characteristics of the
Tuscan islands come from their volcanic origins which have given
the island of Elba a top that is more than 1000 m high, the
Capanne mountain, which today completes the tourist program
and allows the visitors to alternate relax on the famous beaches
with adventures along the paths on the steep slopes of the mountain
and extreme sports such as free climbing. The rivers and the
fountains have always supplied the inhabitants and the agriculture
with water, apart from Giannutri which is completely dry. The
climate of the Tuscan islands is extremely mild, subtropical
and therefore characterised by warm summers and very humid winters.
Rain falls irregularly and during there is often long dry periods
during the summer, while it is possible to see the highest tops
covered with snow which melts after a few hours during really
cold winters. The winds, especially on the small islands, are
useful for the dissemination and the homogenisation of the vegetal
species. It could be reason why there are plants from Corsica
and Sardinia on the island of Capraia. |
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Geology
- Minerals
The ground of the islands of the archipelago is definitely
rich in minerals, a natural museum for curious and interested
people and a “Mecca” for mineral scientists. The minerals have
determined the economic and historic events of the archipelago,
especially on Elba and Giglio, which are the islands with the
highest quantity and selection of minerals. If Giglio is famous
for the elegant grey-green granite, rich in feldspar, quartz,
mica and thurmaline, the island of Elba holds a high quantity
of iron and has given it its most ancient name, Aethalia, which
means “spark”, as those jumping sparks close to the ovens where
the precious mineral was worked. The extraction and the working
of the mineral started to become important for Elba from the
beginning of the Mediterranean civilisation. The precious objects
of the Etruscans and the more refined ones by the Italics were
made with iron from the Elban mines. Then it was the turn of
the Greeks who sailed the Mediterranean and knew that there
was an island between Corsica and Etruria so rich in iron that
it could never finish. Obviously the reality is completely different
from the legend and the last mine on Elba was closed in 1981.
Though no more minerals are extracted and the iron is no longer
forged, the minerals still are one of the most important resources
of Elba. Though spades and helmets are not forged anymore, the
ground still attracts scientists and collecters. Bronze, azurite,
malachite, cuprite, hematite, ilvaite, limonite, iron, magnetite,
quartz, granite, orthoclase, beryl and thurmaline are the most
common minerals, and the presence of these minerals makes the
islands of the archipelago an open mineral museum that is so
important that it is on UNESCO’s list over geologic sites. There
is also a plan to create a cultural park in order to protect
this unique treasure. Even if you are not scientifically interested
in minerals you can still enjoy the great aesthetic and landscape
effects that the minerals offer. If you want to explore the
world of the granite, there is a quite difficult, but fascinating
path, that starts in Borgo di San Piero, at the foot of Monte
Capanne and ends at the Mulino del Moncione. Along the path,
you can admire fascinating landscapes, as the one from Pietra
Murata where you can see Pianosa, Montecristo and Corsica, and
you can distinguish the typical vine-yards of Elba on the green
granite and semi-worked block terraces, the remains of an activity
which flourished already during the Middle Ages. The glittering
colours, due to the presence of iron, characterise the north-west
part of the island. It is the part that surrounds Rio Elba,
the capital of the extraction. The path from Rio Elba to Fortezza
di Giove, which goes back to the 14th century, passes abandoned
mineral mines where the water is ochre and red. In Rio Elba
you can also visit the Elban Mineral Museum “Alfeo Ricci” which
hosts more than 700 examples that, together with the “Erisia
Gennai Tonietti” collection in the Town Hall of Rio Marina which
holds around 1000 pieces, completes the mineral panorama of
the island. In Portoazzurro you are able to enjoy a particular
experience visiting the a reconstruction of a typical Elban
mine in a train for 250 metres. Historic findings, old machinery
and a complete collection of typical minerals allow you to experience
the daily life in a mine and to get to know the extraction techniques
which are no longer used. Another interesting visit is the experimental
park of old iron metallurgy, in La Chiusa, close to Portoferraio.
Here you can see different types of old ovens which have been
reconstructed in their real size, like the “Catalan” ovens,
used by the primitive civilisations. It is basically a deep
hole with stones on the sides. Or the high ovens which are ovens
on the ground which were a later invention.
Photos from APT Tuscan Archipelago and Mediaweb srl.
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