Anniversario in musica per il Boutique Hotel Ilio
All’Isola d’Elba dal 25 giugno al primo luglio 2009, tra jazz
e buona cucina, si celebrano i 50 anni dell’albergo
di Maurizio Testa situato a Capo Sant’Andrea

Una settimana speciale, appena dopo il solstizio d’estate. Quest’anno ricorre il 50esimo anniversario dall’apertura del Boutique Hotel Ilio di Capo Sant’Andrea all’Isola d’Elba, e il patron Maurizio Testa ha pensato ad una sorpresa particolare per i suoi ospiti. Dal 25 giugno al primo luglio 2009 l’albergo si veste a festa per una celebrazione nel nome della tradizione e dell’ottima musica, in contemporanea con il festival jazz che colora l’isola. Giovedì 25 giugno è in programma una deliziosa cena a tema con menu mediterraneo a base di pesce, accompagnata dal concerto sulla terrazza dell’albergo del Monks Dream Quartet. Mercoledì 1 luglio viene presentato invece il vino dell’anniversario dell’albergo, Ilio50, durante una cena in cui viene abbinato a piatti di carne. Alle 21.30 ad allietare la serata ecco sulla terrazza dell’hotel l’esibizione di Isolajazz Quartet, che propone musica moderna e originale con voce femminile. Musica, buona cucina e vino sono gli ingredienti straordinari che danno vita alla ricetta per la settimana dedicata a Ilio50, un traguardo che regala a Maurizio Testa tanta soddisfazione e la voglia di continuare a migliorare l’offerta per i propri ospiti. I gruppi musicali che tengono i concerti al Boutique Hotel Ilio partecipano al contest del Mediterraneo Jazz Festival Elba. Il prezzo per il soggiorno, con trattamento di mezza pensione e le cene speciali, dal 25 giugno al 1 luglio parte da 70 a 110 Euro a persona.

Per informazioni Hotel Ilio Capo S.Andrea – Isola d’Elba
Tel. 0565.908018
Sito web www.hotelilio.com
e-mail booking@hotelilio.com

Ormai siamo tornati a casa da qualche giorno., purtroppo. Ci avete viziati cosi tanto, che avete lasciato un vuoto …soprattutto nello stomaco , ma anche negli occhi.
Vostra isola è veramente stupenda , travolgente e indimenticabile.

A tutti i nostri amici raccontiamo continuamente di questa vacanza con la moto , che secondo noi è il mezzo ideale per muoversi sull’isola. Si percepisce a pieno tutti colori e profumi , i suoni e l’atmosfera cosi nostalgica , quasi antica. È come se ci fossero dei ricordi remoti che affiorano girando un angolo e muovendosi sulle strade . Giravo la testa in continuazione per poter raccogliere ogni dettaglio dei paesini che attraversavamo , ammirare gli abitanti cosi pacati…
Come vi invidio che avete tutto questo tutti i giorni dell’anno.

Come avrete notato, nella foto che vi ho allegato, eravamo diversi centauri nel vostro albergo…spero vi faccia piacere questo ricordo e che ci terrete un posto sotto al portico per la nostra moto , perché verremo ancora a rubare attimi felici nel vostro albergo incantevole.
Un saluto speciale allo Chef , che mi ha ridato la voglia di cucinare “ cibi sani”.

Loredana e Mirko

Domenica pomeriggio Vergassola e Mario Tozzi incontreranno i partecipanti della passeggiata dell’itinerario Biowatching che partirà dall’Hotel Ilio di S. Andrea alle ore 14,30.

Verso la fine del percorso, alle 17,00, sul palcoscenico naturale del Cotoncello, ci racconteranno in versione ironica le loro teorie e fantasie sul camminare naturalistico e sulle vacanze. Sarà un piacevole finale al tramonto, sul liscio granito delle “Cote piane ” di Sant’Andrea ripreso dalle telecamere di Tnews e aperto a tutti.

Il comico e cantautore Vergassola, già conosciuto nel ruolo di Pippo, il proprietario del bar al centro nella serie Tv di Carabinieri e per le sua comicità a Zelig e a Maurizio Costanzo Show, è ora impegnato in televisione a fianco di Serena Dandini nel programma di Rai tre “Parla con me” e in altri programmi radiofonici della Rai.

Per gli escursionisti

Si ricorda che l’Itinerario Biowatching è il n. 125 del Programma del Festival del Camminare ed è organizzato dalla Cooperativa Pelagos

Dopo una breve presentazione sul tema del Biowatching,presso la saletta multimediale dell’Hotel, passeggeremo nella natura tra macchia mediterranea e coste marine, osservando gli uccelli migratori, le rare specie di felci, le concrezioni granitiche, minuscoli insetti, piccoli mammiferi ed orchidee spontanee. Si raggiunge la loc. Maciarello e la Cala, rientrando su uno splendido percorso costiero.

Il ritrovo è alle ore 14.30 presso il Boutique Hotel Ilio a Capo Sant’Andrea.

per prenotare l’escursione chiamare il n. 0565-944977 o consultare il sito www.tuscanywalkingfestival.it.

Il Parco ringrazia Maurizio Testa dell’Hotel Ilio di Sant’Andrea per la disponibilità e la cortese ospitalità offerta.

Tuscany Walking Festival 2009 con Dario Vergassola from isoleditoscana on Vimeo.

Dai vini piacentini a quelli toscani, al ‘fritto misto’ delle Marche

DOVE TRASCORERÀ le prossime feste buona parte degli italiani? In cantina, almeno secondo le stime di Coldiretti che prevede ben 6,5 milioni di persone in partenza per i weekend di Pasqua e primo Maggio in agriturismo, con una particolare attenzione all’enologia. Si prevedono dunque ‘microvacanze’, con un massimo di tre notti fuori casa, alla scoperta dell’enogastronomia del Bel Paese. Tra gli appuntamenti, a Carpaneto Piacentino (PC) si terrà sabato 25 e domenica 26 aprile il Festival del Gutturnio, uno dei più noti vini dei Colli Piacentini. Nel castello quattrocentesco Scotti da Vigoleno (il Municipio) i produttori e i sommelier serviranno assaggi di vini, in abbinamento con prodotti tipici. Durante questi giorni tutti i ristoranti di Carpaneto e dintorni proporranno menù tipici con abbinamento di Gutturnio e vini piacentini. Info: Gutturnio Festival tel. 335.5602598. Altro appuntamento enologico questa volta in Toscana, all’Isola d’Elba per il Wine Tour del Boutique Hotel Ilio di Capo Sant’Andrea. Propone dal 22 aprile al 28 maggio tre notti in camera doppia con colazione e mezza pensione, una visita guidata ad una cantina dell’Isola d’Elba, una cena al ristorante dell’hotel con una bottiglia di Ilio, lo speciale vino realizzato da Maurizio Testa in occasione del cinquantenario dalla nascita del suo albergo. Prezzi da 420 euro per tre notti per due persone. Tel. 0565.908018 Sito web www.hotelilio.com. Infine un appuntamento per fine mese: ‘Fritto Misto all’italiana e dal mondo’ si terrà ad Ascoli Piceno dal 30 aprile al 3 maggio. Oltre alle degustazioni ci sono anche le lezioni di frittura dei grandi cuochi. Come novità: fritto card per sconti, bando per diventare assistente dei grandi cuochi durante le lezioni di cucina. Sito web: www.frittomistoallitaliana.it. Gloria Ciabattoni

Da “Il Resto del Carlino” - “La Nazione” - “Il Giorno”

The best-known visitor to the isle of Elba, off the Tuscan coast, was Napoleon, who spent ten months here in exile. Today’s visitors enjoy the same attractions as the French emperor: sandy beaches, impressive landscapes and a rich history.

The sun bakes the pale red houses, their green window shutters closed as the mercury begins to rise. I wander the beachside town’s narrow, cobblestoned streets, which are lined with flowerpots. Its deserted alleyways seem like a movie set, because there’s something missing – people. Late in the morning, the town seems to be fast asleep. Breakfast is long past but it’s not yet time for the local lunchtime. Around noon, restaurant doors begin to lazily open, closing again at three. The shops, too, seem to be nearly always closed. Late afternoon is in effect siesta time, even if the Elbans refuse to admit it.

The siesta mood is almost oppressively lazy. On the sandy beach, a few tourists lie motionless, and not even the waves have enough energy to rock the sailboats floating in the harbour. During the holiday season, Elba is packed with half a million tourists. Yet the Tuscan island, devoted to eternal laziness, does not seem to care. On Elba, afternoons are for indolence. We decide to resist the soporific effects of the siesta. With energy to burn, we jump in the car and zoom off to explore Italy’s thirdlargest island.

MOMENTS IN HISTORY
Strung along serpentine roads, Elba’s small towns all resemble each other, but after a few twists of the road, I feel the urge to get out of the car to admire a new landscape. Peeking out from among green hills and white clouds, Marciana and pocket-sized Poggio seem straight out of a storybook, complete with pastel-coloured houses and white steeples. As the road descends to the sea, the wild rocky cliffs send my imagination galloping. According to the Homeric legends, the Greek Argonauts’ ship docked here as the ancient heroes pursued the Golden Fleece. The old tales also
say that here 300 men boarded a ship to defend Troy against the Greeks. Thanks to its strategic location and rich soil, Elba has had an astonishing wealth of experiences since ancient times. The island has witnessed the fall of the Roman Empire, plunder by the Saracens, the rule of Cosimo I de’ Medici and of the French. The island gained renown for its iron ore mines, the earliest ones opened during the Etruscan era, centuries before the Christian era. Still, the best-known chapter of
its history belongs to Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1814, Napoleon surrendered to an alliance of Austria, England, Prussia and Russia, and was sent into exile on Elba, which he nominally ruled. The former emperor was allowed a small army and two homes in the island’s capital, Portoferraio: the Mulini Palace and the San Martino manor. Napoleon spent ten months on the island until he slipped away for one last chance to shake up Europe for 100 days before his Waterloo. The diminutive ex-monarch wanted to maintain his Parisian lifestyle on the island, so both mansions are showily decorated. While on Elba, he spent most of his time reading. At Villa dei Mulini, you can visit Napoleon’s private library, which includes thousands of volumes that he personally picked before being sent to the island.

Apparently Napoleon didn’t give in to the indolence of the siesta, either. As soon as he arrived on Elba, he began to develop his new little realm with a passion. Along with overhauling the local mining industry and building streets, he expanded wine production and designed a flag for the island. The emperor spent much time touring around his little kingdom on horseback, but he, too, learned to relax the Elban way. According to local tales, from time to time he was seen seated by the sea, staring at his home island of Corsica on the horizon.

PICNIC AT THE PEAK
Elba’s iron ore mines made it famous even in the age of antiquity. Today the mines are depleted;
the last one closed about 30 years ago. Elba has become part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park. However, it is still possible to delve into the isle’s mining history by touring the underground Ginevro mine or the Rio Marina mineralogical park. At the latter, the tourist train is packed with travellers whose eyes glint with gold fever. When the locomotive stops, children armed with brandnew pick-axes rush out behind their guide to chip away at the rocks. Their parents watch,
at least as excited. At this old open-cast mine, it is still possible to find hematite and pyrite, better known as “fool’s gold.” Perhaps it’s worth studying the types of rocks found on Elba at the Rio Marina mineral museum before beginning the mine tour.

On the return trip, the tourists’ plastic bags are bulging with glittering mineral treasures. As a bonus, these happy amateurs miners get to enjoy an amazing view over Rio Marina from the top of a hill. Elba’s highest peak, Mount Capanne (1,019 metres above sea level) can be reached via cable car. Making the three-hour climb on foot makes the mountain seem like a slightly smaller Everest,
but such hikes are among Elba’s greatest delights. The trails on the slopes of Mount Capanne and Mount Perone are considered classics, and justifiably so. The path to the top of Capanne winds through a storybook chestnut forest before the landscape becomes more Alpine. The air is thick with the scent of flowers. The only sounds are the wind in the trees and the sound of small rocks falling, dislodged by the wild mouflon sheep. Seen from the top of Mount Capanne, all of Elba is laid out like a full dinner plate. The undulating shoreline forms sheltered bays and hidden sandy beaches that are only accessible by boat. From here you can see the emperor’s Corsica, the count’s Mount Cristo, and the mainland, less than 20 kilometres away. I dig into my rucksack for bread, cheese, cherry tomatoes and olives. There’s no better place for a picnic than a mountaintop!

FRUTTI DI MARE
There are so many beaches on Elba that you can wander on a different type of sand every day. Cala di Cotoncello in Sant’ Andrea is dazzlingly white and equipped with parasols, while the wilder
Terra Nera near Porto Azurro is made up of black volcanic sand. The island’s beaches are made up of ten different kinds of sand or pebbles. The Tyrrhenian Sea is also offers fascinating dives. There are about 20 shipwrecks lying in Elba’s coastal waters, and plenty of undersea creatures. Those adventurous enough to explore this marine world will need a hooded wetsuit that is 5 mm thick, as the 20-degree Celsius seawater will set your teeth chattering within about 45 minutes.
“Of course this is not a tropical underwater paradise,” says diving instructor Andrea Romolibut.
“You can see all kinds of undersea life anytime during the diving season, which runs from Easter to All Saints Day.” As the owner of the Il Careno diving centre, which opened in 2001, he knows all that is worth knowing about Elba’s undersea world. “The best time to dive is July, when you can see huge schools of barracuda at a dive spot called Careno. That’s when the visibility is also at its
best, as much as 30 metres. In June you might run into a gigantic ocean sunfish, and around the same time every year, a family of tiny seahorses arrives in the coastal waters off Sant’ Andrea.
In September, you can even see fin whales and sperm whales from the shore, not to mention dolphins,” says Romolibut enthusiastically. “At the moment there are only two protected areas around Elba where fishing is forbidden, so you can see tons of fish. There are plans to protect the whole area around the island. When that happens, the diving will be incredible.”

WINE FOR DESSERT
On the way to Marina di Campo, my photographer- chauffeur screeches the car to a sudden halt. Ambling along the roadside are two wild mouflon sheep, who seem oblivious to us. Clearly, the road signs warning of these creatures are no joke. Having seen enough of these woolly beasts,
we crawl along the twisting road into a valley, its slopes lined with neat rows of grapevines. Its balmy climate makes Elba an ideal place to produce wine. The island’s best grape varieties are the white Procanico and the red Sangioveto. Moscato and Aleatico are used to create sweet dessert wines, into which cantucci biscuits are dipped.
Lorenzo Canerini’s family has owned the Azienda Agricola Cecilia winery since 1945. Cecilia’s flagship wine is a red Syrah known as oglasa, which is exported in small amounts to as far away as New York. Most of the bottles end up at local restaurants, which consider Cecilia wines to be the island’s best. “Our three vineyards have a total of ten hectares of vines, which are tended by just ten
employees. We produce 50,000 bottles annually, almost all of which remain on Elba,” says Canerini, standing amid his grapevines. “Exporting wine to New York is really just a question of image, but of course there are people there who understand quality.”
Expanding the winery would be difficult, explains Canerini. “Land is expensive and clearing forest to make more vineyards would be even more costly. Once there were 3,000 hectares of vineyards on Elba, but now there are only 150.”

The reason is the growth of tourism. “It has destroyed the local viniculture. Nowadays vineyard owners make more from renting their houses to tourists than from making wine,” huffs Canerini.
Cecilia, Sapereta and Acquabona are the island’s most respected winemakers. Despite tough times, these wineries do not compromise on the quality of their products; Cecilia has even hired Vittorio Fiore, the legendary oenologist of Chianti, to help develop its wines.
The Sapereta vineyard offers a small wine museum. After learning the secrets of winemaking,
it’s time to pause in the vineyard’s atmospheric canteen to savour the differences between its various wines. Elba’s broad selection of wines forms a perfect complement to the local seafood-based cuisine.
The menus read like lists of songs. Risotto al nero di seppia, octopus with black flavoured rice, stains your teeth and lips like blueberries. Polpo all’Elbana on the antipasti list turns out to be a huge boiled octopus swimming in an herb and olive oil sauce. Frutti di mare pizza is piled with seafood, from mussels to octopus tentacles, and does not resemble the typical puddle of grease sold under the same name further north in Europe.
After tiramisu and espresso, it’s time to stroll the small lanes near the seashore. Here little shops are packed with local delicacies, souvenirs and Italian designer goods. We arrive at our hotel as evening falls, thousands of fireflies flickering around us like paparazzi flashbulbs. My head feels light from the wine and the scent of the sea air. Tomorrow it will be time to leave this island behind and sail on like Napoleon, toward new adventures.

Få øer har så mange aktive tilbud som Elba. Desværre er vejene få, men så må man jo prøve at komme rundt på anden måde Elba har i det hele taget i århundreder været i voldsomt underskud af veje. Der skulle en afsat kejser til, før end øen ti kilometer fra fastlandet overhovedet begyndte at tænke i infrastruktur. Da den franske kejser, den forviste Napoleon Bonaparte, satte sin fod på øen i 1814, brugte man hovedsageligt søvejen for at komme rundt. Med en dugfrisk udnævnelse
til guvernør over de godt 100.000 borgere i lommen gik den altid aktive Napoleon i gang med at anlægge en havn i hovedbyen Portoferraio og sætte baglandets små grusveje i system.

200 år senere må man konstatere, at han aldrig rigtig fik fuldført projektet. De 27 gange 18 kilometer, som udgør øens areal, mangler stadig veje, men de veje, som er der, fungerer, og
nummerplader fra hele Europa pendler ivrigt frem og tilbage ad de smukke kyststrækninger.
Begrænsede veje At flere dele af Elba også er naturreservater, sætter naturligt nok en begrænsning
på lysten til at asfaltere øen. De få veje gør også, at få kilometer i fugleflugt på kortet i virkeligheden tager længere tid at køre end beregnet, da vejene kringler sig rundt om hvert et
højdedrag. Hvis man nu fik den lyst at køre hele vejen rundt ad de 147 kilometer kyst, så ville næsten en tredjedel ikke kunne lade sig gøre i bil.

I stedet ledes man indad og opad mod smukke byer som Marciana og Poggio i vest og Rio Elba i øst. De mange hårnålesving sætter maveregionen på prøve, men udsigten er fantastisk, og der behøver ikke nødvendigvis følge en by med. Smuk udsigt Fra naturens fredfyldte højdepunkter kan man se vidt omkring. Fra det østlige Ponte Nera kan man som Napoleon skue mod Korsika. Fra Madonna del Monte, ligeledes i øst, kan man se ned på flere af øens byer, og fra Monte Orello,
næsten præcist placeret i øens centrum, kan man se hele Portoferraio-bugten.

Trods de få bilvenlige strækninger er der mange andre måder at opleve øen på. Langt de fleste hoteller, pensionater, ferievillaer og campingpladser er ved at flyde over med brochurer for kajak, kano, dykning, hiking, faldskærmsudspring og ridning. Sidstnævnte måtte naturligvis prøves.

Tag over hovedet

Elba har mange campingpladser, specielt på den nordlige kyst. På den anden side af tangen ved hovedbyen Portoferraio ligger blandt flere pladser Scalieri Camping Bungalow.

Priser fra ni euro pro persona i højsæsonen, august. 17 euro for standardplads og 21 euro for havudsigt.

Mobilhome og bungalow begynder ved henholdsvis 80 euro og 98 euro i højsæsonen for to til tre personer. Kontakt på info@campingscaglieri.it og campingscaglieri.it – også på dansk!

Der er også mulighed for at bo på pension med parkering og lokal strand, hvis man vil have det stille og fredelige ophold.

Hotel Ilio ligger på St. Andrea- pynten, næsten så langt mod vest man kan komme. Der er halvpension og god havudsigt fra terrassen. Priser fra 70 euro i højsæsonen. Book i god tid på ilio.it. og info@ilio.it. Der tales godt engelsk og tysk.

Skal det være med det hele, så er det wellness-oasen Hotel Le Picchiaie, som ligger mellem området Giovanni og byen Magazzini i Portoferraio-bugten. Der er skiltet til alt, bare ikke altid i god tid, så hold øjnene åbne. Hotellet ligger tilbagetrukket med udsigt til bugten.

Værelserne begynder ved 120 euro for Bed & Breakfast og halvpension 150 euro. I højsæsonen stiger det til 210 euro og 250 euro.

Hotellet har større udendørs pool og wellness-afdeling med tyrkisk bad og ayuveda-massage. Priser fra 50 til 120 euro i timen.