Located on a ridge at 375 m above sea level, on the northern side of the granodioritic massif of Monte Capanne, it is one of the most interesting inhabited centers on the island. The origin of the settlement can be traced back to the 1st century. BC, a hypothesis linked to the numerous finds found in the area, even if in its current configuration the town can be attributed to the medieval period. Among the buildings of significant historical importance, the Pisan Fortress and the Mint should be mentioned. Built in the 12th century during the dominion of the Republic of Pisa to defend the territory and subsequently consolidated by the Appiani, lords of Piombino, in the mid-15th century, the Fortress, with a quadrangular plan enclosed by four towers, has an internal courtyard which hosts during in the summer cultural events and classical music concerts.
The Mint of Marciana, however, where a small numismatic museum is located, insists on a hypogeum structure entirely excavated in a granodiorite bank, according to some identifiable as a noble burial with dromos, dating back to between the 4th and 1st century BC. The reuse of the burial as a mint by the Appiano family can be dated to the end of the 16th century. Furthermore, at the foot of the fortress there is a small archaeological museum: the Antiquarium. The first civic archaeological museum to be established on Elba in 1968, it mainly houses prehistoric and protohistoric finds from various parts of the island and findings from the Etruscan and Roman ages. From Marciana, following an easy path in the direction of Monte Capanne you reach the Hermitage of S. Cerbone and the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Monte, a church dating back to around the 16th century, a period to which some recently discovered frescoes also seem to refer. Located in a particularly suggestive position, outside there is a spring from which fresh water flows and a hermitage where Napoleon stayed during his exile on Elba to meet his lover Maria Walewska.
From April to October you can easily go up with the cable car to the summit of Monte Capanne which, with its 1019 m, is the highest peak in the entire Tuscan Archipelago. From the summit you can enjoy a panorama that truly takes your breath away: the entire perimeter of Elba, the other islands of the Archipelago, Corsica and, on the horizon, the Tuscan coast. More experienced hikers can reach the top of Mount Capanne on foot, as there are two paths which, in about 5 hours of walk, starting from Poggio or Marciana, reach the summit. Located just over a kilometer east of Marciana is the town of Poggio. Of particular interest is the building of S. Nicolò which is located on the top of the town, probably the original nucleus of expansion and which represents, with those of Rio Elba and S. Piero in Campo, one of the three fortified churches on the island attributable to Appian era.
The small towns of Pratesi, Zanca, Sant'Andrea and Pomonte, now converted to tourism, are located on the road ring that connects the latter to the capital. Procchio, located on the north coast close to a large sandy beach, experienced a massive increase in construction after the Second World War with the construction of hotels, residences and holiday homes. A fundamental stop is the Spiaggia della Paolina, a small beach of sand mixed with gravel partially shaded by the holm oak forest behind it that separates it from the road. The beach takes its name from the nearby Paolina islet where Napoleon's sister, Paolina Bonaparte, is said to have gone to bathe.
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