Exploring Elba! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tyrrhenian Sea

Elba is found in the Tyrrhenian Sea, which is located off the west coast of Italy. It was named in ancient times by the Greeks, who used the term Tyrrhenians or Tyrsenians to describe the non-Greek people who lived there. In the 8th century BC it was a term used to describe the pirates who made it difficult for the Greeks to establish colonies in Sicily; by the 6th century the name referred more to the ancient Etruscans.

Elba, the third largest island in Italy, has an area of just 86 square miles (224 square kilometers). It is 18 miles (29 kilometers) long and 11.2 miles (18 kilometers) wide, with 91 miles (147 kilometers) of pristine beaches that attract tourists to the island today.

Napoleon arrived in Elba on May 4, 1814, as its new Emperor. Prior to that the island had originally been ruled by the Etruscans and Romans in ancient times, but had a long history of being handed down or sold to a variety of Italian city-states and families. It had been given to France in 1802 according to the terms of the Peace of Amiens after the French Revolutionary Wars.

Answer: Tuscan Archipelago

An archipelago is a chain of islands. In mythology, the Roman goddess Venus lost her pearl necklace in the Tyrrhenian Sea; the seven islands that make up the Tuscan Archipelago represented the pearls that she could not recover.

Capraia, Elba, Giannutri, Giglio, Gorgona, Montecristo, and Pianosa are those pearls, with Elba being the largest. As implied by its name, the islands in the archipelago are part of the region of Tuscany, which is well known for its leading role in the Italian Renaissance. The islands of the archipelago are protected by Arcipelago Toscano National Park.

Answer: Iron

The iron found on the hilly eastern side of the island, formed about 400 million years ago, has been exploited for thousands of years. The Etruscans, who were among the first Europeans to smelt iron, settled the island about the 6th century BC; in fact, the ancient Greeks named the island after the smoke created by the iron furnaces.

When Napoleon arrived in Elba he set about improving the infrastructure of the island, which included developing the iron mines, which technically belonged to him. Of course, this brought in extra money that was especially important because he hadn't been receiving the 2 million francs a year from France that were promised in the Treaty of Fontainbleau.

Answer: Portoferraio

Portoferraio is a natural harbor that is the main harbor, as well as the principal destination, of the ferries from the mainland. It is both a city and a commune, or administrative region. The city was founded by Cosmio I de'Medici in 1548.

Napoleon's residences were located in Portoferraio. The Villa San Martino, also called the Villa Napoleonica, was located on the outskirts of the city and was his country estate and summer home. Palazzina dei Mulini, which was high in the hills overlooking the harbor in the town center, was his primary residence. Although he had apartments designed there for his wife, Marie Louise, and son, they never came to Elba; instead his sister, Pauline, lived there. His mother lived at the nearby Casa Vantini.

Answer: Honey

Along with Aleatico wine, made from grapes cultivated on Elba for approximately 3,000 years, the honey produced on Elba is believed to be among the best found in Tuscany. A dark brown chestnut honey and golden strawberry tree honey are considered to be island specialties.

When Napoleon arrived on Elba he brought with him the flag that is still in use there. There has been a lot of discussion regarding why it was designed, but he reportedly said that it represented that Elba had three rulers (I'm not sure who he was counting), and now it was united under his banner.

The truth is, however, that Napoleon's belongings were profusely decorated with bees, a symbol that Napoleon believed connected his rule of France to the ancient Merovingian Dynasty that was founded there in 457. In 1653 golden bees were found in the tomb of Childeric I, who was the father of Clovis I, the founder of the dynasty. The bees are said to have represented immortality and resurrection.

Answer: Mount Capanne

Mount Capanne, located on the western side of Elba, is 3,343 feet (1,019 meters) tall, and provides the island with its only area that does not have a Mediterranean climate. It was formed approximately 11 million years ago.

A popular destination for hikers, people may also reach the summit of Mount Capanne by using a cable car which leaves from the town of Marciana. Mouflon, a type of wild sheep, and wild boar live in the area.

Answer: Principality of Elba

Napoleon was basically given the Principality of Elba and its 12,000 people to rule as Emperor. It was a nonhereditary position; Elba was to be given to Tuscany when he died, as Italy was not a unified country at this time.

Napoleon was allowed to bring 870 men with him; of that number, 566 were considered to be part of his elite corps. He also had a navy of 66 sailors and one ship, the "Constant", which he would use in his escape.

Elba's original name appears to have been Ilva, after people described by Livy believed to have immigrated there from northwestern Italy. The Greeks called the island Aethalia, which means smokey, after the iron furnaces used there. Cosmopoli was the name given to the island's port city of Portoferraio by Cosmio I de'Medici.

Answer: False

There are rivers on the island that are commonly called ditches, however, they aren't very long and the shorter ones tend to dry up in the summertime. The largest river is Foss San Francesco, which is about 4 miles (6.5 kilometers long). If the rain becomes torrential, there can be problems with flash floods on the island.

There are also many springs on Elba that are said to contain some of the best drinking water in Italy. The most famous, the Source Napoleon, was used by the Emperor himself. Today its water is available free of charge to the people of Elba.

Answer: Corsica

Of course, this question had to be included, as it brings us back to Napoleon! Corsica was Napoleon's birthplace. In the distant geological past - approximately 25 million years ago - Corsica was attached to the Italian peninsula. For a time, as the lands drifted apart, there was a piece of land that included modern Elba that continued to connect the two. Today Corsica is about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Elba.

It is another island that was constantly saw new leadership after the fall of the western Roman Empire. About fourteen years before Napoleon's birth, the Republic of Genoa, which had controlled the island for 500 years, gave the island its independence, deciding in 1769 to sell it to France instead. Napoleon's parents were part of the unsuccessful Corsican resistance movement, with the story being that his pregnant mother followed his father from rebel camp to rebel camp.

Answer: 10 miles

The decision to exile Napoleon to Elba has always baffled me; it is so close to the mainland that it almost seems that Napoleon was expected to escape! Some sources, however, made it sound as if Napoleon was able to choose his place of exile. If that was the case, then Elba, with its potentially good defenses, good weather, and proximity to the mainland, seems like the logical choice.

While Napoleon resided on Elba he did much to improve life there. A network of roads was built, and the island's schools and legal system were overhauled. Social life on the island even improved with the arrival of his mother and sister.

But Napoleon had heard that the British were talking about exiling him to St. Helena; in addition Napoleon still had many loyal soldiers in France and boundless ambition, and - most of all - he did not want to die in obscurity. He ordered that the "Constant" be painted to look like a British ship, filled it with his supporters, and left. Once again he was viewed as a hero - but not for long!