From charming harbour town of Porto Azzurro, whose old town with its cafés and bars invites you to relax and enjoy, a side road leads to the pilgrimage church of Madonna di Montserrato, which is located below the unexpectedly rugged and rocky mountains at the end of the valley. Despite their modest height of up to 390 m, these peaks have a character more reminiscent of the Alps. From the car park, a poorly to unmarked path on the western side of the valley leads first through scrub and forest, then over the rocky ridges and crests up to Monte Castello. There, a 360-degree view of the entire island of Elba opens up, to the north you can see Portoferraio, to the west Monte Capanne, to the south Capoliveri. The summit is also a worthwhile, easy detour from the “Grande Traversata Elbana” (GTE) trail, whose route turns west just below the summit on the meadow saddle coming from Cime d. Monte. The tour from the pilgrimage church to Monte Castello, however, is short but challenging and requires experience in rough and unmarked terrain.

You can find more pictures of Elba in the “Elba” gallery