The Municipality of Porto Azzurro

What to visit in the municipality of Porto Azzurro

The town of Porto Azzurro, called Portolongone until 1947 and originally a Spanish possession, is located on the eastern side of the Island of Elba, at the foot of a characteristic promontory on which stands the fortress of S. Giacomo, commissioned by Filippo III of Spain in 1603. 

Lively tourist centre, full of small restaurants, small shops and places where you can spend cheerful evenings in company, has a characteristic and well-kept square overlooking the sea. With its choreographic fountains, plays of water and light and exotic palm trees, always sunny and well sheltered from the winds, the square of Porto Azzurro is a small jewel of architecture and design, theater of concerts and shows in the summer. A few kilometers from the centre, in the direction of Rio Marina, is the suggestive Sanctuary of the Madonna of Monserrato, built in 1606 by the Spanish governor on the model of that of Montserrat, in Catalonia. Set in a rugged valley, it stands on a rock spur and can be reached with a short walk. In its sober interior, it is possible to admire the painting of a black Madonna in the altarpiece, a copy of the more famous Nuestra Señora Morena, located in the Spanish sanctuary of the same name.

The best-known beaches in the municipality of Porto Azzurro are Barbarossa and Reale, both with coarse sand and fine gravel, equipped with bathing establishments, diving centers and boat rental. The characteristic Laghetto di Terranera is worth a visit, of mining origin, whose water color ranges from emerald green to intense green due to the presence of sulphurous water.