Portoferraio and the white coasts

From the heart of the historic town center of Portoferraio, we begin crossing the Porta a Mare of the Medici fortification of Cosmopoli, a jewel of military architecture built in 1548 by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I de Medici to defend the dock.

Following the Mazzini cove, we leave the circuit wall dominated by the imposing “Fronte d'Attacco” in the direction of the “Spiaggia delle Ghiaie” which, with its characteristic white pebbles smoothed by the sea, recalls the legendary stop of the Argonauts.

Padulella, Capo Bianco and Sottobomba are the white beaches that glide alongside our route, to be seen especially on the days when sirocco blows, to enjoy Caribbean-like sea colors.

Following Viale Einaudi, we flank Mount Albero, on whose summit the remains of the 19th-century fortification of Montebello are still visible.

Following the signs for Enfola, we encounter the descents to the sea for the beaches of Seccione, Acquaviva, Sorgente and Sansone, famous for their picture-perfect views.

Past the Viticcio - Enfola roundabout, the view opens up onto the north-western slope, Mount Capanne and, over the horizon, the reliefs of Corsica, to arrive at the isthmus that connects Capo d'Enfola to the rest of the island. Here, until the late 1950s, tuna fishing was carried on, as is evident thanks to the buildings of the tuna fishery, which have now become the seat of the Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago Toscano.

Leaving the asphalt road in favor of the dirt road (marker 208), we begin the uphill climb in constant hairpin bends to enter the interior of what was one of the most important defensive posts in the Elban territory during the war period, the “De Filippi” coastal battery, of which the power station and the sailors' quarters are still visible on the route.

Several viewpoints allow us to enjoy an ever-changing landscape at every turn, until we reach the equipped resting point, near a tunnel bunker, the end point of this itinerary.