Rio nell'Elba

Rio nell'Elba
Country	Italy
region	Tuscany
province	Livorno (LI)
local community	Rio (Tuscany)
Coordinates	42 ° 49 ′ N , 10 ° 24 ′ E Coordinates: 42 ° 49 ′ 0 ″ N , 10 ° 24 ′ 0 ″ E
height	165 m slm
surface	16.71 km²
Residents	1,105 (Dec. 31, 2016)
Population density	1 inhabitant / km²
Demonym	Riesi
patron	San Giacomo (July 25th)
Church day	July 25th

Rio nell'Elba is a village and a former municipality on the island of Elba with 1105 inhabitants last (as of December 31, 2016). Rio nell'Elba belongs to the province of Livorno in the Tuscany region . The municipality was merged with the municipality of Rio Marina to form the municipality of Rio on January 1, 2018 . The seat of the new municipality is Rio Marina.

location

Rio nell'Elba is located in the northwest of the eastern headland of the island of Elba. The municipality covered 17 km², which corresponds to a population density of 74 inhabitants / km². The neighboring municipalities were Porto Azzurro , Portoferraio and Rio Marina .

The main town of the former municipality lies on both sides of a mostly dry river valley, which runs in a NW-SE direction, sloping towards the SE. The oldest part is on the NE slope of the valley. It is characterized by narrow streets and steep stairs, typical of a mountain village. The central square is the Piazza del Popolo (People's Square) with the mighty parish church, which is dedicated to the apostle James and the martyr Cyriacus .

General view of the main town

Origin of name

The name is derived from the Latin rivus , which means river . The brook, which meanders through the narrow valley, operated numerous water mills in the 19th century with its abundant flowing water. It flows into the sea in Rio Marina.

history

The community was first mentioned in a document as Comune Rivi in 1260. The area then belonged to the mining district of East Elba and was assigned to the then neighboring town of Grassera. Rio suffered a violent night raid in 1534 on the orders of Khair ad-Din Barbarossa , in the course of which Grassera was destroyed. The Statuta Rivi (i.e. Statutes of Rio), which regulated the social life of the country since the 16th century, became particularly important .

Location of the municipality of Rio nell'Elba

Transport links

Rio nell'Elba is connected via well-developed country roads with Porto Azzurro in the south, Rio Marina in the east, the coastal and beach town of Cavo in the north and the seaside resorts of Maggazzini and Bagnaia on the west coast of the headlands opposite Portoferraio. Local public transport reaches the place with intercity buses.

Worth seeing

The place itself is worth seeing with its narrow streets, steep stairs and small piazzettas .
The parish church Chiesa di San Giacomo Apostolo or Chiesa dei Santi Giacomo Apostolo e Quirico as the center of the place was built in the 11th century under the rule of the Pisans and over the course of time has seen numerous reinforcements that should serve their protection. The defensive walls from the 16th century can still be seen. The three naves are of medieval origin.
Trinity Church ( Chiesa del Patreterno e della Santissima Trinità ): It was built in the 15th century and, like most sacred buildings on Elba, renovated in the 18th century. Inside it houses a painting depicting the crucified with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, which earned it the additional patronage of the Trinity. In the choir you can see a painting with the Madonna del Carmine ( Our Lady on Mount Carmel ) with St. Paul and Antony, which originally belonged to the Brotherhood of St. Anthony.
Torre del Giove (Jupiter Tower) was built in 1459 to warn of pirate attacks. The construction took place at the instigation of Jacopo III. Appiano overlooks the Piombino Canal and the mining hinterland. The two neighboring cities of Rio and Grassera were often defended from here. During an attack by the soldiers of Turgut Reis in 1553, the fortress had a square tower with three floors and was surrounded by a moat. Until 1960, the stone coat of arms of the noble family of Appiani was on the ground immediately east of the fortress .
The ancient wash house
Castello del Volterraio , remains of a castle in the southwest of the main town with an impressive view of the Gulf of Portoferraio and Monte Capanne , altitude 409 m.