Rada di Porto Azzurro

The anchorages of Porto Azzurro are extensive. Located on the eastern side of Elba Island, it is approximately 500 meters wide. The anchorage is well protected from westerly winds, but is conversely open to easterly winds. Sirocco winds create a strong undertow.

Porto Azzurro is equipped with a small port. Inside it are floating docks that offer a good number of moorings; very often, however, especially in August or otherwise during the summer season, it is targeted by tourist boats and so it is difficult to find a place for your boat. Facilities are few but useful: you can recharge batteries, refill water, and have your boat rinsed.

The Porto Azzurro anchorage, located east of the harbor mouth, provides a good alternative mooring point. The seabed, which reaches a maximum of 10 meters, is muddy but does not always guarantee a good hold.

In the innermost part of the anchorage the depth decreases dramatically and the seabed is not exactly optimal: depending on the spots, the consistency of the mud varies greatly. Anchoring near the southern shore is not recommended as it is a very busy area for ferries in maneuver.

To get to the heart of the village it is necessary to enter right from the anchorage, since Porto Azzurro turns out to be hidden behind the fortress, still used today as a penitentiary. It is a village full of colors and scents, where you can buy whatever you may need and where you can take advantage of a good number of services, totally absent inside the anchorages.

There is no shortage of bars, restaurants, ice cream parlors, and all sorts of little places to relax and rest. The center is full of grocery stores, boutiques, and clothing stores; the presence of a small outdoor cinema is also noted.

There is a filling station in the village that dispenses various types of fuel, including diesel. Along the shore, in the direction of the Toremar pier, there is also a fairly well-stocked shipchandler.

Within the anchorage are a large number of coves and small bays. To the north of the entrance opens Cala Barbarossa. This cove is open to the south – east but appears to be well sheltered from other directions. It is characterized by rocky, wild shores to the north and a verdant landscape to the south. The seabed consists of seaweed, interspersed with a few rocks, and sandy stretches. The southern side of the cove is very steep, but the rest of the bottom has a regular slope.

There is no shortage of beaches, both within the anchorage and in the surrounding area. La Rossa beach, despite its proximity to the ports, has very clear waters. It is composed of sand and fine gravel, is about a hundred meters long, and is popular because it is close to the town and therefore within easy walking distance.

Instead, outside the anchorage is La Pianotta, composed of gravel: its waters are extremely clear and it is the perfect destination for snorkelers and divers. Being exposed to eastern winds, then, it is popular with windsurfers.

Adjacent to the anchorage of Porto Azzurro is Cala di Mola. The Mola shipyard is only 300 meters away in the north-east direction.

Two miles from the anchorage of Porto Azzurro opens into a bay called Seno D’Ortano, ideal for relaxing between dives.