PALAZZINA DEI MULINI
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Napoleon's official residence on the Elbe during his exile. A sober palace for an emperor, even a fallen one, but not to be missed.
This building, classified among the National Monuments of Italy, is best known for having been the official residence of Napoleon Bonaparte on the island of Elba during his exile, from May 4, 1814 to February 26, 1815. It is so named because at the time, there were windmills. It was previously the headquarters of the artillery and the engineers. Located near Fort Stella, the Palazzina or Villa dei Mulini was chosen by Bonaparte and redesigned according to his requirements by the architect Paolo Bargigli, a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara. It remains a relatively unspectacular residence for an emperor, even a deposed one.
During the visit, one can see period furniture, paintings (including the works of Horace Vernet, member of the Institute of France and a great painter who helped build the myth of Napoleon), the emperor's bedroom, his library containing more than 700 books from Fontainebleau, and a garden down to the sea (although, unfortunately, lacking maintenance). The former stables are now apartments.
The Palazzina opens onto the Tuscan coastline to the northeast, turning its back on the French lands of Corsica to the west. Napoleon I tried for some time to recreate a French-style court here, despite the circumstances, and also hoped for the arrival of his mother and sister Paolina.
Smart tip: there is a combined ticket to visit the two villas of Napoleon (Palazzina dei Mulini and Villa San Martino, his summer residence), valid for three days.
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