The disappeared beaches of Elba… Those of the bay of Rio Marina.
Tourists always said “beautiful and animated country, but without beaches”. But the beaches where there! Nearby, bright and shiny in the morning and in the early afternoon, and peaceful in the evening.
Beach of Ricetti. Named after the builder of the palace where the managers of the mine were housed. Spacious apartments with sea view, facing towards a small beach with black and bright sand, which gradually gave way to smooth gravel, and rocks of the mine.
Cala del Pescatoio. A bigger beach with green rocks. I remember every submerged rock. Every summer day of my adolescence that was my beach. I spent long hours swimming between those rocks in search of succulent urchins and limpets.
To the right, the remains of the ancient jetty. Squared rocks fallen randomly and melted into a thousand strange forms. Here I immersed myself every morning to discover the rich fishing grounds.
Then, near the wharf used for the loading of the mineral, there was the beach of La Cabina. Here arrived the bric, the legendary cargo ships. In the middle part of the beach, large rocks created a mysterious and fascinating backdrop.
Rio Marina, a small seaside village that lived through the mines, surrounded by suggestive beaches with black and bright sand, meeting places for residents in the winter, and place witness of loves and adventures among the young in the summer.
Today many of these beaches have disappeared, leaving the memory of a distant time and a history that still attracts many tourists from everywhere..