Two tips to feel good on the Island of Elba: sleep at the Hotel Etrusco in Rio Marina and eat like a king in Pomonte, at Sophie's, all the tips for a holiday on the Tuscan island.
A holiday atElba island: who knows how many are dreaming of it. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago offers hundreds of enchanting beaches, free or equipped and crystalline seabeds full of fish. The seaside towns have their own charm and so do those in the hinterland, a bit perched, lonely and where time seems to have stopped.
The receptivity of the island is important, from campsites to villages, from guesthouses to luxury hotels with private beaches. Everyone can plan their holiday according to tastes and budgets: given the name of this site, my suggestions are good for your wallet and are 100% tested as quality references.
Hotel Etrusco in Rio Marina
The area is the mining area, east coast. In the Rio Marina area, indeed halfway between the lively Rio Marina, overlooking the sea with its marina - but also the ferry from Piombino, the connection with the mainland - and Rio nell'Elba, the “mountain” town in a slightly rural natural setting, you can stay overnight at the Hotel Etrusco. It is a family-run hotel, with a non-pretentious atmosphere, where the guest is greeted with a smile by Barbara who holds her little son in her neck. The hotel has been recently renovated, has a parking lot, is surrounded by a beautiful garden with beautiful lemon and bougainvillea plants, a couple of terraces overlooking the green valley and lots of outdoor space to relax.
Le rooms they are simple but comfortable with private bathroom and air conditioning. A feature that I liked: in the rooms there is no television, is a choice of the property, the television is present in the common living room. In the common areas there is also the free wi-fi connection. Personally I have not experienced it, but the hotel makes a restaurant, also open to outsiders on request: a large room that also extends into the terrace, where you can enjoy fish dishes and Mediterranean flavors. The prices of the Etrusco Hotel obviously vary depending on the season: when I went (May) for B&B treatment we had a discounted price of € 32 per person (the list price was € 39). However, all prices are published on their website.
Sophie Pizzeria Restaurant
For the advice on where to eat I ask for understanding: in my experience of several years, I have found that on the Island of Elba you eat very well, both the fish which is obviously fresh and cooked as God commands that the cuisine more than land, because the island is very cultivated and has a good climate, suitable for crops. But even in this case, having to make a report, I orient myself on an area, on the south coast, the most rocky and barren one, where every now and then it opens up like an inlet and inside there is enclosed a village with its beach. Pomonte, at the foot of the imposing Monte Capanne, is one of these villages. The calm that you breathe there is incredible, especially if you go inside, among the white houses from which lush citrus and bougainvillea plants sprout. In one of these streets you will find the Sophie restaurant.
A large room on the first floor and a terrace overlooking the village on one side and the mountain on the other. The kitchen and the wood oven are on the ground floor. Sophie has a menu made up of pizza and fish dishes, always paired with seasonal vegetables. As soon as you sit at the table they bring you a basket of hot oil focaccia, fresh out of the oven, a kind gesture, as is all the service which is warm and friendly.
Excellent appetizers of substance, imaginative first courses and excellent quality fish dishes. The wine list includes Elba products. They spend about 30 euros with wine, choosing the fish; lower bill orienting itself on pizza. There is no objection to the quality, the atmosphere is friendly, the children are treated well.
