Archaeology
Over the centuries, the most important civilizations of the Mediterranean basin have shaped the cultural identity of Elba. Today, the sites and museums are full of Etruscan and Roman remains from the 8th century BC to the5th century AD. For this, head for the archaeological museum of Linguella, installed in the fortress of Cosimo de' Medici. The collection testifies to the role of the island in the commercial exchanges of the past, in particular the amphorae and the ancient vases. Some of these have been found in sites such as Mount Jupiter and the necropolis of Mount Capanne. The wrecks of merchant ships such as the Procchio I have also delivered their treasures.
The "ancient way" came back into fashion centuries later as shown by the works in the Collector's Antique Cabinet. This collection is one of the twelve sections of the Pinacoteca donated by the intellectual Mario Foresi. Strongly involved in cultural life at the turn of the 20th century, he bequeathed his rich collection of art objects, books, engravings, paintings and prints to his native island. It then found refuge in the magnificent building founded in 1562 by Como I. Here you can admire portraits of people and landscapes representative of the island. Florentine artists such as Telemaco Signorini have an important place alongside sacred and mythological subjects. The Renaissance is represented by the artist Francesco Morandini. The Anglo-Italian painter Llewelyn Lloyd, born in Livorno, fell in love with the island in 1907. He acquired the Maison des Grenadiers. His Elba landscapes were exhibited at the 1909 Venice Biennale.
Napoleon's legacy
Napoleon's exile on the island of Elba cannot be ignored. Luckily, he left in his wake many works of art. His summer residence continues to house a fine collection of period pieces. The Villa de San Martino can be combined with the Demidoff Gallery. The Russian prince Demidoff bought the San Martino estate from the Bonaparte family. He had a grandiose gallery built to house the relics and symbolic works of art of the Napoleonic myth, including a statue of Galatea by the Venetian sculptor and painter Canova. The Russian prince was the husband of Mathilde Bonaparte, the emperor's niece. However, in 1871 the gallery was sold by their heirs and turned into a museum. A collection of prints from the Napoleonic period was added to the museum. In Portoferraio, in the small Church of Mercy, where every year a mass is given in homage to Napoleon, you can admire the Madonna and Child by the sculptor Tino da Camaino, a pupil of Giovanni Pisano.
Italo Bolano Park
The International Open Air is an open-air art center, a meeting place for art, nature and the general public. No less than thirty monuments are located in this paradisiacal setting, a true refuge for many Mediterranean plant species. In this inspiring place, Italo Bolano's monumental sculptures and painted ceramics change according to the weather, the light and the seasons. But the artist's will was also to offer a space that hosts artistic events. Born in Portoferraio, on the island of Elba, Italo Bolano (1936-2020) trained in Florence and then in Padua before becoming a teacher. Initially assimilated to figurative expressionism, his work then moved towards abstraction. A series of sixteen paintings illustrating the Life of Christ adorns the church of Saint-Gaetano in the Italo Bolano Museum of Sacred Art. He also painted cycles of canvases dedicated to Jesus Christ, his friend Mario Luzi and the Emperor Napoleon (of course).
