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Island of Elba in Tuscany - San Piero

Starting point is from the small village of San Piero at 230 m. above sea level. The village deserves a visit: there are old granite portals set inside the village that are particularly worth admiring; also interesting the small church of Santi Piero e Paolo, incorporated in the defensive rampart dominating the plain of Marina di Campo.

After taking the stairway (naturally in granite) from the center of the village, the walk starts uphill for about30 minutes, until it intersects the track that goes from the Tower of San Giovanni to the valley called Piane del Canale. After a ten minute walk it is a good idea to leave the track and stop at Pietra Murata from where you can admire a beautiful view. From here you can see some of the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, such as Pianosa and Montecristo, and also, further away, the French island of Corsica. In fact this was a strategic lookout and defensive position already in pre-Roman times.

After returning to the trail, the walk continues downhill along a ditch called Fosso del Malocci until it reaches trail No. 35 that goes to the granite quarries of San Piero. Along the track, in addition to the beautiful views, there are the typical vineyards on granite terracing, most of which have been abandoned but are still in good condition. The last part of the walk can be particularly interesting. If you look carefully around you will be able to see granite blocks partly sculptured: the strange denticulate marks and the rough casts of columns are what remains of ancient granite sculpture, already flourishing during the Pisan period (12th century). The green field near the old mill of Moncione deserves a stop.The end of the walk takes you back to the village of San Piero.

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