The best museums Ile d'Elbe

Built in 1677, the church represents a strong sign of Napoleon's passage on the island of Elba. Since 1852, every May 5 is celebrated a mass in his honour. There is also the body of San Cristino, martyr and patron saint of the city of Portoferraio. The small adjacent museum preserves the flag that Napoleon gave to the Elbe on May 4, 1814, the bronze mask of Napoleon dying, given by Prince Anatolio Demidoff, and the bronze casting of his right hand.

The (small) Museum of Minerals and Mining Art is located in the centre of Rio Marina, within the historic headquarters of the mine management, the Palazzo del Burò. It exposes the different minerals present on the island of Elba, in particular pyrite and magnetite. This collection is one of the most important on the island, with samples of exceptional beauty. The visit continues with the discovery of the geological history of the Elbe and its deposits, exploited from Etruscan times to 1981. In addition to a life-size gallery, the museum also presents original working tools found on the extraction sites, such as picks or carbide lamps - precious objects for miners who take us back in time, telling us about the lives of these men who, from generation to generation, have spent their lives in the dust, noise and humidity of the galleries. An interesting meeting to understand how iron has regulated the economic activity of the island of Elba for centuries.

From April to October, guided hikes to Rio Marina's iron mining sites are also organized by the museum. Ask at the reception desk about the days of departure. Also offered, and in high demand, is the mini-train tour of the open-pit mines. The visit, on reservation, lasts a good hour for an exciting tour through the geo--mineralogical heritage of the island of Elba.