Island of Pianosa

Once a penal settlement in the Tuscan Archipelago National Park

Protected Area and Use	The island's territory is entirely included in the Zone 1 protection area, and within the park's perimeter, the islets of La Scarpa and La Scola are also part of it. Even at sea, the territory is protected up to one mile from the coast.
Info	It is possible to stay on the island at the small Hotel Milena, managed by the Arnera Social Cooperative, which offers accommodation and dining services (bar-restaurant da Brunello).
How to Visit Pianosa	Pianosa can be reached from Marina di Campo and Rio Marina. Despite the closure of the prison, there are still fairly strict rules for public access. The Tuscan Archipelago National Park organizes guided tours with limited numbers. Visit Pianosa »

Pianosa, one of the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, is the closest to Elba Island and is part of the Municipality of Campo nell'Elba. The island owes its name, Pianosa, from the ancient Planasia, to the feature that most distinguishes it: its nearly completely flat terrain. In fact, its highest point reaches only 29 meters above sea level.

The rocks are of sedimentary origin and alternate between rocky and sandy coastal stretches.

The existence of the maximum-security prison until 1997 made the island practically inaccessible. After the closure of the prison, the island was then passed to the management of the Park Authority, which organized limited public access to preserve its land and marine biodiversity; this has allowed much of the natural heritage of the island to remain untouched.

The vegetation covering Pianosa is a typical Mediterranean scrub of Phoenician juniper, rosemary, mastic, rock-rose, and spazzaforno, a rare shrub that thrives in poor, predominantly rocky soils.

The island’s fauna is primarily represented by small mammals, but it's also possible to spot red partridges, hoopoes, and numerous pheasants likely introduced during the prison’s operation.

About thirty species of seabirds nest on Pianosa, including the extremely rare Audouin’s gull, the lesser and greater shearwaters, which only reproduce on some Tuscan islands, and the peregrine falcon, very rare in Italy, which nests on cliffs and inaccessible rocky slopes.

The marine seabed around the island is certainly among the most rich and unspoiled, thanks to its inaccessibility due to the presence of the prison and the subsequent protection by the Tuscan Archipelago National Park.

Today, it is an ideal habitat for Posidonia meadows and the many species that find shelter here, including saddled bream, sea bass, red mullet, gilthead bream, lobsters, amberjacks, and groupers, or choose the shallow waters for reproduction, such as the spider crab.

Off the coast of Pianosa, it is possible to spot dolphins and Caretta Caretta turtles, while sightings of the monk seal are rare, as is the case throughout the Tuscan Archipelago.