Museo Nazionale della Residenze Napoleoniche

Elba


Villa dei Mulini was home to Napoleon during his stint in exile on this small isle. With its Empire-style furnishings, splendid library, fig-tree-studded Italianate gardens and unbeatable sea view, the emperor didn't want for creature comforts – contrast this with the simplicity of the camp bed and travelling trunk he used when on campaigns. While that history lesson is nice, the dearth of actual Napoleonic artefacts here is a tad disappointing.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Elba attractions

2. Forte Stella

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The salmon-pink Star Fort, so called due to its shape, is one of Portoferraio's defining hilltop forts. It was commissioned by Cosimo l de' Medici and…

3. Teatro dei Vigilanti

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This 17th-century church-turned-theatre was one of the grandest, most elaborate churches in Portoferraio when it was constructed in 1618. The Chiesa del…

4. Forte Falcone

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5. Area Archeologica della Linguella

0.32 MILES

The 16th-century Torre del Martello was where Napoleon was 'imprisoned' at the start of his fleeting exile on Elba in 1814 and the russet-red, hexagonal…

6. Villa Romana delle Grotte

1.07 MILES

About 5km out of Portoferraio town, wander through the ruins of this 1st-century-BC Roman villa overlooking the sea at Punta delle Grotte and you will be…

7. Museo Villa Napoleonica di San Martino

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Napoleon personally supervised the transformation of what had been a large farmhouse in the hills 5km southwest of Portoferraio into an elegant villa…