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Porto Azzurro is an important harbour on the island
and second in size only to Portoferraio. Until 1947
it was called Porto Longone. The name was changed so
as not to confuse the town with the prison, situated
in the Fortress from 1858, which had the same name.
If you said “I’m going to Porto Longone “ it meant,
going to prison and so was considered a stain on the
name of the town. The wonderful blue sea was the
reason for choosing this new name and was a more
pleasant for the visiting tourists. The pier type
restaurants, specializing in seafood, along the
seafront are typical of this fishing port and are
some of the best on Elba. The Fortress of
Portolongone reaching out along the promontory,
dates from 1603 and was built by Phillip 111 of
Spain and designed by Don Garcia of Toledo. In 1958
it became a penal colony, and was the biggest in the
whole of Italy. The attractive Piazza Matteotti
right on the seafront is near the church and the
Cappella of the Sacred Heart of Maria which was
built in 1727 by the Spaniard Diego d’Alarcon. Going
towards Rio Marina you can find the Piccola Miniera
(small mine) a tourist attraction which displays the
old mining traditions on Elba. It is a tunnel 250m.
long and exhibits many original features. There is
also a shop where you can buy minerals from the
area. South of the Gulf at Mola there is Forte
Focardo, built in 1678 on the orders of the Spanish
governor don Ferdinando Gioacchino Foscardo. In time
the “s” was lost. Now the fort is controlled by the
military and is no longer open to the public. To the
east of Porto Azzurro there is the picturesque beach
of Barbarossa. The sanctuary of the Madonna of
Monserrato under Monte Castello just a kilometre
from Porto Azzurro was built in 1606 by a Spanish
governor of Porto Longone, Josè Ponce di Leon. On
the inside is a perfectly preserved Black Madonna
which comes from Monserrat, 60kms from Barcelona.
Every year on the 18th September they have a
celebration. The Lake of Terranera is also
interesting, it has yellow sulphur in the water, and
you can find pyrite deposits in the surrounding
area. |
