Marina di Campo
In the past Marina di Campo was a small fishing village, part of the commune of Campo nell’Elba. Although Campo nell’Elba became independant from Marciana Marina in 1894, it has maintained the local coat of arms (the tower), reminding us of these ancient times. Thanks to its long and sandy beach, (2 km), tourism has developed here faster than in other villages of Elba and today Marina di Campo is the main tourist town on the island.
Marina di Campo is characterized by its old, historical part at the end of the bay, behind the small harbour, and by its seafront that comes to an end at a beautiful pine tree forest that runs alongside the beach.
Marina di Campo offers numerous hotels, residences, restaurants, shops and every kind of facility.
Worth a visit:
The tower: built during the Pisan period (12th. Century AD), the tower stands on a rock at the end of the village and dominates the whole gulf.
Make sure you go on an excursion to the hillside villages of Sant’Ilario and San Piero, both historically fascinating, and famous for the extraction and workmanship of granite.
Historical attractions
On the road leading to Monte Perone you can visit:
- The Tower of San Giovanni (12th. Century AD): recently renovated, it dominates the whole gulf of Marina di Campo. The tower was an observation outpost against invaders.
- The Church of San Giovanni: it is the largest primitive Christian place of worship on the island, built with Romanesque architecture. Today only the external walls remain. During the summer classical music concerts are held inside.
- The church of San Nicolò in San Piero in Campo. Many people say this church was built on the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to the god Glauco.
- The church of San Francesco in Sant'Ilario, in the beautiful village square.
- The Roman columns: in Seccheto you can still see remains of the Roman period, when the granite on the island was used for building and decorating important palaces in imperial Rome.
- Monte Cocchero: here you can admire a 3000 year old "holy ground", made of monoliths forming a half circle and going back to the very first Aeneolithic inhabitants of the island. In Seccheto and Fetovaia, the remains of some ancient Roman furnaces have been found, proving the Romans exploited the iron mines on Elba from the II century BC to the II century AD.