As history buffs we made a day trip to Elba (easily reachable by ferry from Corsica and Piombino) to check out Napoleon's last digs on the island, "Palazzo Napoleonica del Mulini". For a place of exile the palazzo is luxurious - at least by 1814 standards - and features a beautiful garden and water view in the back as well.
One must climb some fairly steep stairs to reach the hilltop palazzo. On the day we visited there were long lines of people waiting to enter, and tours were disorganized at best. We were disappointed to learn that virtually all of the furniture in the palazzo was added after Napoleon's stay there, but true to the period design-wise. Apparently the diminutive ruler loved to read as evidenced by his impressive library, and insisted on the use of a primitive indoor toilet (pic below). Pity the poor servants who serviced that area!
According to a plaque on the outside, "This cramped and august house where an empire fell and from which resurrected was for almost a year room for the first exile of Napoleon the Great, where the unity of an Elbe divided there solemnly and foretold that of Italy here amidst the nostalgia of the fortunate epic conceived the imminent audacity and by now this peak sparsely remote valiant behind which he descended like the sun of vespers to rise in a fleeting dawn looks in perpetuity on the history of the centuries meditating." Flowery talk indeed. We spoke to a few locals who disliked Napoleon and his influence on the area, not sure how the majority feel about him of course.
Worth a visit if you're in Elba and/or have a special interest in Napoleon. read more