If I asked you the first 3 things that come to your mind when thinking about the Island of Elba, you would definitely answer me: beaches, entertainment and seafood restaurants. And like you, at least 90% of people.
Too often we forget that Elba is an island largely populated by mountains, forests, and large valleys to explore.

That’s why I wanna tell you about the wonderful day I spent on Monte Capanne with my faithful four-legged friend.

The Cable Car

Given the size of the cable car (a basket, literally) you might think that it’s not suitable for dogs. But, as they told me at the ticket office, they are really animal lovers here.

Ok, maybe it will scare you a bit to climb the cable car with a 35-kg-dog like mine, but the secret is to keep the dog seated and calm along the way. (ca 20minutes)

!! Keep in mind that the cableway is closed on both ways between 1.20pm and 2.20pm.

Not too bad if you’re planning to stop at the bar right on top. Here you’ll be able to eat something (and I should say it’s also not so much expensive) at the magnificent view of the whole valley, till the peaks of Corsica (if you are really lucky).

As for the prices of the cable car, I spent 12€ for the one-way ticket because I had already planned to get off the mountain on foot.
And when they told me that they are friends with animals, they were right! Dogs don’t pay!

The summit of the mountain

With its 1.019m of altitude, the summit of Monte Capanne is the highest point of the Island of Elba and the whole archipelago of Tuscany. If you are lucky and the day is clear and serene, you can even see the peaks of Corsica.

Obviously, I was not so lucky.
The day was hazy and cloudy, but the atmosphere was just as impressive.

The most beautiful aspect of the summit of the mountain is definitely its structure.
As you climb the mountain the vegetation becomes obviously clearly more sparse and at the top, the rock becomes the landowner.

The downhill route through path n.101

To downhill I decided to take the path n.101 instead of the cable car, because they recommended it with dogs. Ok, I was naively expecting it to be shorter, but it was totally worth it.

The day was then brightened up again and this charming place revealed all its beauty.

It lasted about 3.5 hours, but only because we got lost at one point.

I must say another thing, however. Our downhill was fantastic: breathtaking views, perfect weather, great dogs and magnificent route.
But, the following day I was informed about the possibility of meeting vipers along the way, obviously dangerous. Especially for dogs. I have never heard or read about any accidents on that way, but I must admit that I have been concerned anyway.

Il Poggio and the Napoleon’s Fount

As I said, at some point we got lost and on the path and we reached the path GTE instead of staying on n.101.

The positive thing was that it took us to the small village of “Il Poggio“, a typical small, mountainside town surrounded by woods of chestnut trees that are so typical of this part of the Island of Elba.

On the way back to Marciana, we walked for about 2.5km on the edge of the paved road. Nothing exciting, then.
But, as a reward for those 30min of bad walking, here we met the Fount of Napoleon.

It is a source of drinking water that flows from a valley of Mount Capanne.

In the XVII century its ancient denomination was “Fonte dell’Acquaviva“, then changed in the XX century in the actual Fonte di Napoleone. From 1947 to the present day the water is bottled as natural mineral water Source Napoleon.

And while I was letting my dog drinking there, people started coming to the Fount (about 10 people in less than 5 minutes). All queued up to drink the refreshing spring water.

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.   –  cit. Ralph Waldo Emerson  (& me)