Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Michael from Minnesota

Giglio offers beautiful beaches and numerous bays for a relaxing holiday, far away from the hustle and bustle. Its untouched nature is ideal for hiking and crystal clear sea with rich marine life is ideal for snorkeling and diving.

If you would like to spend your holidays on a beach with golden sands and wild nature around, then you should come here and look for Spiagga delle Caldana, which will be the right place for you. Located south of the vibrant beach Cannelle, the beach of Caldana is really a “precious jewel”, which is accessible only by boat. If you want to visit the beach during a round trip by car to Italy, it is better to park your car at the Tuscan mainland. Access of tourists to the island with an area of ​​21 square kilometres is limited.

Crystal clear water, that is full of fish, is a paradise for divers. You can discover the remains of three towers that were used in 60′s of the last century for transshipment cargoes. Rocky reefs with colorful corals, underwater cave with a statue of the Virgin Mary and seahorses, however, can be seen only by experienced divers. But do not give up! The diving school is located in close vicinity to the beach.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, source wikipedia

Giglio has become very popular and world-known since the last month due to an accident of mega cruise ship Costa Concordia. The ship hit a reef on Friday 13 January 2012 and partially sank. The number of tourists increased rapidly in this island as everyone wants to see the largest passenger ship (by tonnage) to sink. If you still haven’t seen it, don’t worry, the ship will probably be waiting for you at the coast of Giglio for additional several months. In these days it is without a doubt the best attraction in the area.

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Luxury villas in Tuscany
If you would like to enjoy your staying in this great region to the maximum, try Luxury villas in Tuscany. Stay at traditional stone farmhouse in the Chianti region and the Tuscan countryside, furnished in rustic Tuscan style or in comfortable apartments in villas with private pools offering unforgettable views over the surrounding landscape.

www.holidayhomestuscany.com

Discover Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), Michelangelo’s statue of David, the Gothic church of Santa Croce or gallery Uffuzzi with the largest collection of Italian Renaissance Art in Florence. Pisa city is world-famous thanks to its Square of Miracles (Campo dei Miracoli) and its 4 buildings – Leaning tower, the Cathedral, Baptistery and Camposanto. Versilia and its surroundings is located in the northwestern part of Tuscany in the region of Lucca, between Alpi Apuane mountains and Tyrrhenian Sea. The historical part of “vera Versilia” includes resorts like Pietrasanta, Forte dei Marmi, Seravezza and Stazzema. Resorts Camaiore, Viareggio and Massarosa are peripheral centers.

Viareggio is a renowned seaside resort, known as the “Pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea”. It is located in the territory between two pine forests and a beautiful lake Massaciuccoli. Among the most famous events is undoubtedly “Puccini Opera Festival”, which is held in Torre del Lago, where Giacomo Puccini lived and composed much of his known works.

The climate of Tuscany is pleasant and mild also during the hot summer since it is influenced by the nearby mountains, and mild in winters influenced by the nearby sea.

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In the city you can walk through the narrow cobbled streets full of stairs and steps. Portoferraio is also known for its numerous old churches. Since the city was reconstructed in 1548 in a military style, its main attractions are fortresses Stella, Falcone and Bastion della Linguella. Another interesting sights are the Church of Reverend Mercy and Napoleon’s museum. In the old city there is also one the residences of Napoleon. If you rent a car or a motorcycle in Portoferraio, you can take a circuit around the island and visit some of the most interesting places, including hidden and remote beaches. Portoferraio has good ferry connections with Livorno, Piombino and with many other islands of the Tuscan archipelago.

In the area of ​​Portoferraio there are one of the most popular beaches for scuba diving. However the whole island of Elba is actually a paradise for divers. Therefore you can find almost everywhere a dive shop, where you can add an oxygen or rent diving equipment. Even if you have no experience with diving and would like to try it, you can subscribe to any of the courses in the local diving schools. The local beach has a gentle declivity towards the sea, which is especially appreciated by families with small children and less able-bodied swimmers. Swimming is allowed in the crystal clear water of the Ligurian Sea.

You can try out a variety of water sports such as windsurfing, paragliding, water skiing, scooters and pedal boats. The port city of Portoferraio is also an ideal place for sailing, there are regularly held international sailing races.

Not surprisingly, Portoferraio fascinated visitors since the Middle Ages, however the increasing number of tourists is the only disadvantage of this great island.

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Elba is located between Liguria Sea and Tyrrhenian Sea and is often called as The Pearl of the Tuscan Archipelago.

Elba offers wonderful natural sceneries and beautiful mountains. Sandy beaches are very popular here and many tourists prefer to visit Portoferraio for its National Park activities. The island of Elba is about 150km long and covers the area of 224 km2. The Monte Cappane – the highest mountain on Elba (1019m) is very popular for hiking and it is also called “roof of the Tuscan Archipelago”.

Since Portoferraio has the historical value, many scholars are doing research in the island. About thirty thousand people are living in this island and about eleven thousand persons are staying in Portoferraio city. On Elba you can find lots of monuments.

You can enjoy here the sunbathing, fishing, the pirate ship battle, hiking, visiting Napoleon’s palace (Napoleon was here in exile as governor), or even sitting in pubs and tasting excellent local cuisine.

Regular boat services are available from Piombino. Our tip is to rent a boat and discover the coast of Elba where you can find lots of unknown and empty wonderful beaches.

Tourists visiting Italy should not miss to visit Elba, as we think it is one of few places, which have to be visited, at least once in a life.

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