The exceptionally lovely Elba is an island located off the coast of Tuscany that is most famous as the place in which Napoleon lived out his exile. It is a great beauty with diverse and lush flora, plenty of interesting fauna, incredible views, and some excellent beaches. As such, it makes for a wonderful place to spend a day if you have found a vacation rental on the Tuscan Coast. If you are interested in hiking, it is an especially good day-trip location as it is home to the Grande Traversata Elbana, or Great Elba Crossing. This is a long circuit of routes and trails around the island that make it an absolute dream for hikers! To get active while you explore Tuscany, come and see it for yourself and try out some of, or the entirety of the route, and feel yourself get refreshed by the majestic beauty of the island!
Also known as the GTE, the Great Elba Crossing is the main route that crosses the island of Elba and is a trekking route that moves in an east to west direction, starting from Cavo, near the north-eastern end of the island, and then crossing the central ridge of Elba towards Monte Capanne. The north-western section runs through the valley of Rio Gabbiola and extends to the tip of Polveraia, while the south-western route stretches down to Pomonte. In total, it is around 60km in length and, when tackled in its entirety, is usually done in fours stages over the course of four days. If you're not quite up to four days of intense trekking, you can always do sections of the route and enjoy the incredible views and surroundings for a few hours instead. Certainly, it is one of the best ways to take in the most beautiful island in Tuscany.
Photo credit: Enrico Strocchi / CC BY-SA 2.0
