Portoferraio

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Portoferraio
coat of arms
Portoferraio (Italy)
Portoferraio
Country Italy
region Tuscany
province Livorno  (LI)
Coordinates 42 ° 49 ′  N , 10 ° 19 ′  E Coordinates: 42 ° 49 ′ 0 ″  N , 10 ° 19 ′ 0 ″  E
height 4  m slm
surface 47.5 km²
Residents 12,012 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density 253 inhabitants / km²
Factions Bagnaia , Biodola , Magazzini , Montecristo , San Giovanni , Scaglieri , Viticcio
Post Code 57037
prefix 0565
ISTAT number 049014
Popular name Portoferraiesi
Patron saint San Cristino
(April 29th)
Website Portoferraio
Portoferraio seen from the south
Portoferraio seen from the south

Portoferraio is one of the seven municipalities of the island of Elba , at the same time the capital of the island of Elba , part of the Tuscany region in Italy, and its cultural and economic center. It has 12,012 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019). The name "Portoferraio" means "iron port", traced back to the iron mining on Elba.

location

Portoferraio is located in the north of the island of Elba on a rocky promontory that extends far to the east into the sea and thus forms a natural bay ( Rada di Portoferraio ). The port of Portoferraio, which was already known to the Romans as Fabricia , was created by building and expanding moles .

history

In the place of Portoferraio there have been human settlements for millennia, which were formerly dominated by Etruscans , Ligurians and Greeks before they finally became part of the Roman Empire.

Before the place was renamed Cosmopoli by Cosimo I de 'Medici in the 16th century , it was called Feraia , at that time already indicative of ore shipping. The fortifications that characterize the cityscape were built between 1548 and 1552. They consist of the Falcone, Stella and Linguella castles connected by a wall.

On May 4, 1814, Napoléon Bonaparte landed on Elba, who had been exiled there. He chose Portoferraio, the island's capital, as his place of residence and built his winter residence there. He began with extensive reform activities, but left the island on March 1, 1815.

Today the city benefits greatly from tourism and the port facilities.

Attractions

Napoleon in Portoferraio

After the landing of Napoleon, he chose the Villa Mulini palace in Portoferraio as his winter residence . The villa was built by Grand Duke Gian Gastone de 'Medici in 1724 and later adapted to Napoleon's needs. Today it can be visited as a national museum for an admission fee. It is a two-story building with a small garden. The residence is on a hill ⊙ on which the fortress of Portoferraio is located. The garden of the residence borders on a steep slope that flows directly into the sea, but is limited to the sea by a wall several meters thick.

Napoleon furnished all the rooms with furniture imported from France. He also took his favorite Fontainebleau books with him to Elba and studied them in the study on the first floor that was specially designed for this purpose. There are still some original exhibits, but many pieces have been shipped to various museums around the world and have been replaced by copies.

Napoleon's achievements in Portoferraio also include the construction of new roads and the revitalization of ore mining. At the end of the 19th century the economic boom reached its peak, but ended in Portoferraio with the bombing of the facilities during World War II (see also: Rio Marina ).

Other attractions in Portoferraio

  • The port of Darsena is worth seeing for itself, with its hustle and bustle around the horseshoe-shaped quay, which is open to the southwest.
  • At the southeast end of the port is the octagonal defense tower Torre della Linguella, popularly known as the hammer tower ( Torre del Martello ) because of its shape . It was built in 1548.
  • Immediately next to it is the excavation field of a Roman villa with remains of mosaics below the wall.
  • The Museo Civico Archeologico is housed along the eastern quay wall in the former salt warehouse , with many exhibits that trace the history of the island from the 8th century BC. Until the 2nd century AD.
  • From the center of the port you come through the Porta del Mare to the old town, which is surrounded by remains of the city wall from the Medici era. Behind it is the Piazza Cavour , at the eastern end of which is the La Galeazza ⊙ market hall . The former naval arsenal and the stacking house of the Tuscan fleet can also be found here .
  • The town hall between Piazza Cavour and Piazza della Repubblica ⊙ has a lovely inner courtyard with many marble panels. The Foresi Library with 27,000 volumes on the island's history is housed on the third floor . The Elban patron Mario Foresi donated not only this collection to the city, but also the only picture gallery in Elba, the Pinacoteca Foresiana , which is now located in the congress center (see below).
  • Napoleon once had his 1,000-strong private army drilled on the Piazza della Repubblica .
  • To the north of the town hall is the old parish church Chiesa del Santissimo Sacramento , a church built in 1551 that was expanded by Giuseppe Natale Bichi in 1731. It was badly damaged in World War II. Today, the Centro Comte de Laugier convention center is housed here with the aforementioned art gallery. It was donated to the community in 1914 and contains around 500 pictures with paintings from the 19th century.
  • A few steps further north is the Chiesa della Misericordia from 1677. It preserves the remains of San Cristino, Portoferraio's patron saint.
  • Right next to it is a small Napoleon exhibition with the imprint of Napoleon's hand and his death mask , as well as the original imperial flag.
  • Chiesa di San Marco alle Grotte , church from 1619
  • Propositura della Natività di Maria , church from 1623 in Piazza della Repubblica

Sights outside the local area

  • Villa San Martino , about 5 km from the homonymous valley towards Marciana located ⊙ . Napoleon's sister, Pauline Bonaparte ,had given the simple country houseto her brother. It served as the emperor's second residence between May 1814 and February 1815.
  • Below the villa is the Demidoff Palace with some exhibits.

Impressions

  • Napoleon in Portoferraio , Leo von Klenze , 1839.

  • Portoferraio harbor

  • View from the central pier of the port to the old city gate Porta del Mare

  • Porta del Mare

  • View of the north-western quay of the old port

  • Torre del Martello

  • Archaeological site at the Torre del Martello

  • Demidoff Palace

  • Portoferraio as seen from Forte Falcone

Personalities

  • August von Rüpplin (1797–1867), General and Minister of War of the Kingdom of Württemberg, was born on board a ship off Portoferraio
  • Carmine Crocco , called Donatelli (1830–1905), brigand and leader of an armed gang in Basilicata; died in Portoferraio prison
  • Pietro Gori (1865–1911), lawyer, journalist, intellectual and anarchist poet; died in Portoferraio
  • Ugo Montemurro (1891–1979), military; born in Portoferraio
  • Renato Cioni (1929-2014), opera singer; born and died in Portoferraio

literature

Web links

Commons : Portoferraio  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.