After mid-August: “the watermelon with pork”.
This is what we say, on the island of Elba, about the delicious fruit, as a metaphor of the Elban summer that is ending.
But you have to wait for September to find something that resembles the slow island rhythm, more precisely starting from the second week of September, when the island depopulates, thus changing into the so-called “low season”.
In my opinion it is also the best period to recommend a stay on the island; everyone will tell you if they could not come in August, but their holidays … in short, if you belong to the lucky few people, who can choose in which period to go on holiday, my advice is to visit Elba from the second half of September onwards (from the second week of September is also fine).
This is the time of beaches decongested by the mass tourism and parking lots you would never wished to find in the previous month. The hot summer weather gives way to a pleasant cool temperature, that anticipates the autumn and lets you hiking without flopping under the heat wave.
Even prices return to be reasonable, in the pizzerias you can exchange two words with the waiter, roads can be traveled by bike and the sea water is still pleasantly warm.
Despite, or perhaps thanks to the small number of tourists on the island, you can participate in a number of events, sometimes even bizarre and a bit ‘spontaneous, but I’ll point out a couple that I recommend (if you can) not to miss .
Do not forget that in September our charming apartments and villas will cost you less than a two-star hotel!
Musical event: “Elba Isola Musicale d’Europa”
Where: Portoferraio and other locations for the island.
When: 10 days from the end of August and the first week of September (http://www.elba-music.it/programma/ )
Organizer: Opus 110 Association
Tel. +39 392 3815400 info@elba-music.it
From 1997 every year, in the last days of August and during the first week of September (in 2018 will be from 28 August to 8 September) with unusual constancy, an important musical event of international importance takes place on the island of Elba: symphonic and choral programs, recitals, jazz evenings, dance shows and concert works.
The artists who perform give a special value to these ten days of music, among the countless others include: Yuri Bashmet, Thomas Quasthoff, Natalia Gutman, Eddie Gomez, Uto Ughi, Sayaka Shoji, Stefano Bollani, Martin Helmchen, Billy Cobham, GoVadim Repin , Enrico Rava, Jimmy Cobb, Enrico Pace, Beatrice Rana, Michel Portal; the Soloists of Moscow, Kremerata Baltica, La Camerata Fontainebleau and the singers of the Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg.
The concerts take mainly place in the delightful Napoleonic theater of Portoferraio, now named after the Elba Tenor, Mr. Renato Cioni, but in the last editions we had the pleasant surprise of listening to beautiful music even in very suggestive settings, such as ancient ruins of Roman villas and medieval churches , fortresses and other extraordinary locations on the island.
Every year a young talented musician with the Elba Festival Prize is also awarded and since 2004 the Amici del Fetival Association organizes and supports this important activity that I recommend not to miss.
Imagine a week on the island of Elba in September, in a charming apartment or villa, when the island begins to regain its natural rhythm, the beaches turn to be hospitable places, you can bath and make excursions in an extraordinary environment, out of the mass tourism … and the evening super concert!
Rent an apartment or a villa with www.goelba.com during the Festival, we will offer you the best you can find on the island and we will also give you a discount!
Elba Walking Festival – Autumn edition
Where: On the paths of the island of Elba
When: from mid-September to mid-October (infopark)
Organizer: Tuscan Archipelago National Park
Tel. 0039 565 908231 walking@parcoarcipelago.info
After the appropriate summer suspension, from mid-September to the first week of October, guided tours of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park take place on the island of Elba again.
A dozen interesting proposals distributed in just over three weeks, free and usually well organized, thanks to the expertise and professionalism of the guides.
The initiative takes place both in spring and in autumn and for some years has been increasingly successful.
It is necessary to book within 6.00 pm of the previous day at the information point of the National Park, inquiring about the type of route and its difficulty.
Normally there are more walks than real trekking, where the watchword is the observation of the environment and the pleasure of the paths (over or along) the sea that Elba offers.
Almost always the excursion end with the visit to some small local museum and tasting of typical products, usually very appreciated.
