ISLAND SPECIAL - Stuck on Elba

Then there are towns like the sleepy capital Portoferraio, where two Medici-built fortresses still stand tall and a Martello tower greets wellworn fishing boats to the horseshoe-shaped harbour, as it has done for decades.

Elba, Italy

The sense of history is everywhere on Elba, from the architecture to the food. The local gastronomy has a strong emphasis on seafood eat in an Elban kitchen and you'll sample simple Eat in an Elban kitchen and dishes full of flavour, you'll sample simple dishes from boiled octopus to full of flavour, from boiled small fried zerri fish and octopus to small fried zerri stuffed sardines, all fish and stuffed sardines washed down with superb island wine. Elban grapes produce an array of fine vintages, with the Italian DOC quality guarantee. Among the most renowned are Elba Bianco, Elba Rosso and Elba Rosato. Their famed dessert wines Moscato and Aleatico are served with cantucci, a ground almond biscuit with orange peel and honey, which is dunked and savoured slowly.

I sought out Carlo on my most recent visit. He was still in Marciana Marina and we shared a glass of wine and a cantucci. He reminded me of the ancient legend that perhaps best describes Elba's beauty. It tells of the jewels on a crown owned by the goddess Venus which fell into the sea off the island's coast, so transforming it into a precious gem.

"Look at the sea, the fruit and the flowers all painting the landscape," he says, a man content with life. "This is why Elba attracts people like you and me." I can't help thinking Napoleon must have been mad to leave it.

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