Here, the Mediterranean vegetation comes up to within a few meters of the water, leaving only the sparse plant species able to survive the salt spray of the southern storms as a border between land and sea. But the colorful and varied reef life together with the extraordinary transparency of the marine water is not the only spectacle that you can enjoy in this part of the Island of Elba. Even more powerful than the morphology and colors of the natural elements already mentioned, are the golden sunsets over Monte Capanne. Being in the south and far enough away from the mountain of Elba, the view opens out here onto a huge band of open sea, taking in Montecristo and Pianosa; in the distance you can even see Corsica. To the west, the horizon is taken up by the rounded island of Elba, which from this perspective appears as a succession of scenes that fade into one another, with the imposing mountain peak of Capanne closing the show .
In this absolutely naturally uplifting scenario lies a little known small cove, not frequented even by residents. The immediate hinterland seems to have been urbanized without any apparent precise order, being a maze of narrow streets and paths branching off between houses frequented mostly by German-speaking third generation tourists. Where to park your car and still access the sea is a mystery to me, and probably this difficulty makes the beach less frequented , although small is not crowded even in high season.
The bay is divided into two areas. The first part is a short beach consisting of colourful , pleasantly rounded fine gravel which is nice to walk on barefoot. The beautiful cliff that marks the first part of the beach descends quickly into the sea, but allows a narrow passage to the second part, wilder and even less frequented, and dominated by a high, steep and crumbly cliff overlooking a short section of sea occupied by large blocks of rock that slide into the sea very close to shore. The beach of Cala Peducelli is the first part, where, right on the water, there is shelter for the small boats of the few residents.
Above Cala Peducelli, a narrow path winds around overlooking the sea, and in a few minutes you can walk over to reach two small creeks where, if they are not already occupied as is usual, you can rest assured that no one will disturb you because of their lack of space! The low cliff enclosing these two small creeks is more compact and darker than the cliffs of Cala Peducelli, and because of this you can sit or lie down comfortably and it is quite amazing how, despite the dark color of stones, the two inlets radiate a particular light and reflection that are rarely seen, even in depths of water that are far clearer.
The two inlets and Cala Peducelli, while never crowded, are busy from early spring through October, especially by our cousins across the Alps who, even in the cooler months, will find them particularly mild, both because of the water temperature and the climate; so much so that on sunnier days just before winter, you can still swim and then warm up in the last rays of sun that are always getting lower and lower at that time.
Graziano Rinaldi
