View of Volterraio

Worth visiting is the Volterraio Castle which is located on the top of a rugged hill of 395 metres, belonging to the north-eastern hilly group of the island. The environment perfectly underlines why it was built up here: on three sides the castle overlooks precipitous rocky walls of red jasper, covered by very sparse vegetation, mostly thorny cushions of aspalatoid broom and a low garrigue of sea cistus.
The views you can enjoy from here are extraordinary, especially on the northern coast of Elba with Portoferraio in the foreground. The sunsets are absolutely not to be missed.
It can be reached via a marked path, which branches off from the provincial road between Rio nell'Elba and Magazzini, on the side overlooking the latter location. The route starts from about halfway up, near bunkers from the Second World War. The ascent is decidedly steep, difficult and, in summer, under a scorching sun.
The structure is free, although not easy, to access, but it must be done with a certain respect for the walls, unfortunately in poor condition and awaiting restoration.

Also visible from the ferry arriving in Portoferraio as located at 394 meters on the homonymous mountain, the Castello del Volterraio is the most ancient fortification of the whole Island of Elba. The origin of the name is uncertain: this could derive from the Etruscan vultur (vulture) or from the territory of Volterra from which came the architect Vanni of Gherardo Rau who took care of it in the 13th century. the reconstruction. The original plant of Etruscan origin, was in fact expanded in 1281 by the Pisans who used the fortress for defensive purposes. Subsequently strengthened in 1440, it is one of the few Elban fortresses ever conquered by Turkish pirates who raided Elba several times in their raids. In the harsh sieges of 1544 and 1554 many Elbans found refuge and asylum among the mighty walls of the Volterraio, which will always remain, thanks to its strategic position visible from almost every point of the island, to guard and defend the entire Elban territory. castello del Volterraio is built on a hexagonal plan. The oldest parts of the castle are the walls and the quadrangular tower, built in the most suitable way for sighting. The entrance to the tower is connected to the walkway by a wooden drawbridge. Thanks to a signaling system from the sighting tower it was possible to communicate with other towers of the territory and partly also with the Tuscan coast.