Montemarciale

Montemarciale is a medieval fortified village on the island of Elba. It stands on the Colle di Santa Lucia, 237 metres above sea level, looking down on the Gulf of Portoferraio. The hilltop is flat and ringed by strong stone walls built in the 13th and 14th centuries. Inside the walls a small church to Saint Lucy appeared in the 17th century, though it fell out of use after 1776. Fragments of green and brown pottery from 1220–1350 and many shells lie scattered across the ground. The place is worth the journey because it is the only medieval walled village on Elba. Documents from 1260 mention the Commune Montis Marcialis, and by 1305 it led one of the island’s administrative districts under Pisa. In 1345 a chronicler noted that no other walled castle existed on Elba except Montemarciale. Yet only twelve families lived there, half of them guarding the walls, complaining of poor air and an unhealthy site. The village was destroyed in June 1544 by the corsair Khayr ad-Din Barberousse. Visitors find the remains of the walls and the base of a small turret topped by an iron cross from 1926. The church of Saint Lucy is still visible, though roofless, and pieces of medieval pottery and shells can be seen among the stones. From the eastern edge the view stretches over Portoferraio and the surrounding hills. The site also once linked visually with the fortress of Volterraio across the island.