Punta Calamita

With its dense network of dirt trails and tracks that wind high above the sea and through a large pine forest, the peninsula of Punta Calamita in Capoliveri is one of the most panoramic places on Elba, ideal for going wild on your mountain bike in total safety.

An important mining area known and used since the Etruscan era, this promontory owes its name to the presence of magnetite (the only mineral that’s magnetized in its natural state), whose characteristics are the root of some evocative legends. If it’s true that compasses on board ships, as they travel inshore, abandon north and point to Punta Calamita, then it’s equally fascinating and improbable that the force of the large natural magnet was even able to uproot nails from the planking of old boats.

Punta Calamita can be reached on foot or by bike from Capoliveri, following the road that also leads to the Spiaggia dell’Innamorata (Lover’s Bay) and arrives at the pine forest on Monte Calamita, 413 metres above seal level.