Marciana is certainly the most diverse of the municipalities of the Island, including several villages in its territory very different from each other.
On the northern slopes of Monte Capanne, Marciana at an altitude of 375 m and the small village of Poggio, perfectly preserved their medieval appearance characterized by the installation of urban houses attached to each other, squares, tight granite alleys leaving the few access doors open.
Of ancient origins (35 BC) Marciana, thanks to its strategic position on the high ground that made it more protected from the incursions of pirates, saw its first flowering with Pisani first then with the Princes of Piombino, the Appiani who made it their residence and from here ruled more than half of the island including Pianosa. Following a trail that leaves from the village you can reach the Sanctuary of Madonna del Monte in a short time, the most ancient of Elba Island, already in 1300 place of worship; it was built in 1595, renovated several times to then take on the current form in 1799; it was made famous by Napoleon’s brief summer holiday during which he met his mistress Maria Walewska. You can also visit the Pisan Fortress in the twelfth century, the Archaeological Museum where the remains of the ancient past are preserved in this amazing land, the Park House.
After centuries of working iron, the calling of the inhabitants of Marciana was the herding and agriculture. Like the rest of Elba Island, also here the advent of tourism has determined a big change and it is exactly in Poggio village that we can determine the birth of the tourism in Elba Island. The country has a very interesting feature which is a pure natural spring WITH curative properties: the “Source Napoleon,” real asset already known and appreciated by Napoleon Bonaparte. This source, together with a temperate microclimate, made Poggio a real resort, which, with the construction of the spa and the first hotel in Elba Island, attracted the first tourists. A short walk from the cemetery of Poggio leads us to the hermitage of San Cerbone, very impressive place built in honour of the saint who in 572 took refuge in these places escaping the arrival of the Lombards in Populonia. In the village of Poggio is very interesting to visit the Church of St. Nicholas, a very charming place and classic example of an ancient fortified church.
Worth visiting the Church of San Lorenzo, a true national monument, this Romanesque church was destroyed by the Turks in 1554.
The other towns in the district are very charming seaside resorts: St. Andrea, Patresi, Chiessi, Pomonte, and Procchio.