FOOD & WINE

The island offers an amazing combination of traditional meat and fish dishes.

The specialities of Elban cuisine visitors shouldn’t miss include stuffed anchovies, Atlantic bonito, and "schiaccia briaca", the island’s most famous dessert, made from a combination of ingredients typical of Eastern culture with others from the local tradition.

Other delicacies the island offers include sweet treats such as corollo, schiacciunta, frangette and imbollite, as well as fresh fish, featured in typical local dishes such as boiled octopus, fried or marinated picarels, cacciucco fish soup, yellow crab soup and stockfish alla riese.

Described as insula vini ferax (an island with an abundance of wine) by Pliny the Elder, Elba also boasts a winemaking tradition dating back thousands of years. Vineyards spread across granite and limestone soil, bathed in sunshine and caressed by the salty winds blowing over from the sea.

Today’s wine production is divided equally between fine whites, reds and dessert wines. Elba Bianco, Elba Rosso, Ansonica Passita, Moscato and Aleatico are all DOC label wines.