Description of the attraction
The Tuscan Archipelago National Park is the largest marine park in the Mediterranean. 17, 887 hectares of land and 56, 766 hectares of sea water are under its protection.
The Tuscan archipelago includes seven large islands: Elba, Giglio, Capraia, Montecristo, Pianosa, Giannutri and Gorgona and several small islets. These islands are different from each other, and each of them preserves historical monuments and wildlife. Also, the islands have different geological origins: Capraia is a volcanic island, and Giglio and Elba are granite. Since ancient times, the archipelago has been inhabited by people who have changed its ecosystems. Thus, the relict holly forest is partially preserved only on the Elbe. For people, the archipelago has always served as a place of refuge and a staging post between Corsica, Sardinia and the Apennine Peninsula.
Today, the Tuscan Archipelago is home to entire colonies of seabirds such as petrels and gulls, including the rare Odouin's gull, an endemic Mediterranean species found in only a few places in Italy. White-bellied monk seals and whales can be seen in the waters of the archipelago. Other interesting endemics include the lemon finch, common blackhead, Sardinian tree frog and Tyrrhenian disc-speaking frog. Among land mammals, martens and rabbits are common, but wild boars disappeared at the beginning of the 19th century.
As for the flora of the archipelago, it is typically Mediterranean - strawberry trees, buckthorn, mastic pistachio, myrtle, juniper, rosemary, lavender, heather and wonderful broom grow here. Sea lilies deserve special mention.
The southernmost island of the archipelago is Giannutri with an area of 260 hectares - its coast is 11 km long. Elba is the largest and by far the most famous of the islands. It is also the third largest island in Italy - its area is 22,350 hectares, and the coastline stretches for 147 km. The second largest island in the archipelago is Giglio (2120 ha). The islands of Montecristo, Pianosa and Gorgona belong to the province of Livorno. Gorgona is also the northernmost island of the archipelago and is home to a penal colony.
