Capraia: Tuscany's Forgotten Island

Capraia, the island Tuscany forgot

In the Tuscan Archipelago, between the worldly Elba and French Corsica, Capraia is the island almost nobody knows. Volcanic, rugged, covered in Mediterranean scrub and almost entirely uninhabited beyond the small harbour, it is the third largest island in the archipelago but the last in visitor numbers. Until 1986 it housed an agricultural penal colony, and this long closure to the world has preserved an intact ecosystem that today forms part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park.

Capraia is not an island for everyone. It has no sandy beaches, no lidos, no nightlife. It is an island for walkers, for lovers of wild sea, for those who seek silence and are not daunted by a steep trail.

Getting there

Ferries depart from Livorno (Toremar/Blu Navy, approximately 2 hours 30 minutes). In summer there are 1–2 sailings a day; in winter frequency drops dramatically. The island is car-free: no vehicles are disembarked and there are no driveable roads beyond the port-to-village stretch.

The village and the harbour

The only inhabited centre is divided between the harbour (below, where the ferries dock) and the old village (above, perched on the hillside). A steep road connects them in ten minutes on foot. The village is a cluster of stone houses with a small grocery shop, a couple of restaurants and a pharmacy. The atmosphere is that of a Ligurian borgo of the 1950s, suspended in time.

Accommodation is limited: a few B&Bs, one hotel and some holiday homes. In July and August booking well in advance is not advisable — it is obligatory.

The island's trails

Trekking is the main reason to come to Capraia. The island has a network of paths crossing volcanic landscapes, holm oak woods and sea headlands:

• Trail to Lo Stagnone — moderate, about 2 hours one way. Climbs to the only natural insular lake in the Tyrrhenian, a small freshwater mirror surrounded by rushes. In spring it is ringed by wild orchids.
• Trail to Punta dello Zenobito — moderate-difficult, about 3 hours return. Reaches the Genoese tower on the south face, with views of Corsica and the red cliffs.
• Trail to Monte Castello (447 m) — the island's highest point. A 360-degree panorama over the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba, Corsica, and on clear days even Gorgona.
• The former penal colony — the terraces of the former agricultural prison, where inmates cultivated vines and olives, are visible along several routes.

The trails are marked with red CAI markers. Carry plenty of water: there are no springs along the routes. In summer the heat can be intense; set out early in the morning.

The sea: coves and diving

Almost all of Capraia's coves are reachable only by sea, which keeps them deserted even at the height of summer. The island boat tour (organised from the harbour, approximately €30–40) visits Cala Rossa — a bay of reddish rock with turquoise water, among the most photographed in the archipelago — and Cala del Ceppo.

The seabeds are protected within the Park's reserve zone and offer excellent diving. The local diving centre runs trips to the Secca della Manza and along the submerged volcanic walls rich with gorgonians, moray eels and large groupers. Snorkelling from the harbour cliffs is already surprising in its own right.

What to eat

Capraia's cuisine is simple and maritime. Dishes not to miss:

• Stuffed squid Capraia-style
• Octopus with potatoes
• Chickpea cake (Ligurian influence)
• Mediterranean scrub honey

On the island a wine is produced from Aleatico grapes cultivated on the terraces of the former penal colony: a few bottles a year, worth tasting if available.

When to go

The ideal months are May, June and September. April can be windy but the island is in bloom. October offers days that are still warm and the sea at its warmest of the year. July and August bring the most visitors, though we are always talking about contained numbers.

Recommended equipment

• Sturdy trekking boots (uneven volcanic terrain)
• At least 2 litres of water per excursion
• A windproof jacket for the boat and the evenings
• Mask and snorkel
• A head torch for returning along the trails in the evening

Evening on Capraia

When the sun sinks behind Corsica, the old village lights up in a golden glow that lasts only a few minutes yet stays printed in the memory. The harbour restaurants — two, maybe three — switch on their lights and serve the day's catch without ceremony. The wine is that of the island: a few bottles of Aleatico, sweet and fragrant, drunk while watching the boats rock in the cove.

The absence of nightlife is not a shortcoming — it is a choice. Capraia at night is silence, stars and the sound of the sea on the rocks. For those accustomed to the frenzy of organised holidays, the first hours can feel empty. Then you discover that this emptiness is in fact fullness: the space to think, to breathe, to remember that the sea has a scent and the night has a sound.

Capraia demands a small effort in exchange for a rare experience: that of a Mediterranean still intact, where nature is not a backdrop to the holiday but its only, powerful protagonist.