The seven Islands of the Tuscan Archipelago form part of the Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago Toscano, protecte area comprising 180km2 of land and 600km2 of sea, making it the largest marine park in Europe. It includes the entire island of Montecristo, and also Pianosa and Giannutri, which is partially protected up to 3.5 miles off the coast, with the exception of access channels for boats at Cala Maestra and Cala dello Spalmatoio. The same is true of Gorgona, except for the access channel at Gorgona Porto. About 40% of the surface area of Giglio is included, but without sea areas. Covering about 55% of the island, the protected part of Elba includes the monte Capanne area and the eastern mining district; there are no protected sea reas except for the zone of biological interest off the coast of the north of Portoferraio. On Capraia, the park covers about 80% of the island and upto 3.5 miles off the coast, except for the access channel to Porto Vecchio. (www.islepart.it)

Porto-Vecchio remained for a long time the bad loved of the towns founded by the Genoeses.
The Saint Georges Office built it in 1539 in order to close its island line of defense. Despite a splendid panorama, the site remained unhealthy, surrounded by marshes which exhaled their putrid breath and their swarms of anopheles.

The paludism decimated a first wave of settlers, then a second, settled in 1546. The occupying forces put there under house arrest some Corsican, that they had before despoiled of their lands. We can easily imagine these new inhabitants which were full of drive, for they were named volunteers. In 1564, Sampiero Corso seized the city and entered into an alliance with the Barbary Coasts . The Genoeses called the Spanish for help, who, in autumn, recaptured Porto-Vecchio.

The town hardly known a new expansion until the draining of the marshes by the american troops in 1944.
It remained for a long time a stopping place for the shepherds, and the place of salt and cork production.
Porto-Vecchio has now become the island’s third city; its film library in particular has made it a lively year-round cultural destination.

Set against the backdrop of the Cerbicales and Lavezzi islands.

Originally posted 2008-11-04 15:38:48.