Portoferraio, The Island of Elba In the footsteps of Napoleon

Summer residence Villa di San Martino

Four kilometres outside Portoferraio you can find Napoleon's summer residence in the greenery of a small valley. The villa is really quite insignificant in size and should not be confused with the majestic building Galleria Demidoff, located below, which was built decades later.

Napoleon found Villa di San Martino during a tour. He wanted a home a little away from the startling residents in Portoferraio, and there he found a home partially overgrown and too small. He asked his aides to stand on the renovation and extension of the house and garden, just as the Villa dei Mulini. Unfortunately, Napoleon rarely came here, actually it's just a few hours he was staying here at a time to relax, away from the city noise, or to surround himself by lovely ladies. And even more unfortunately, by the time there were so many disagreements and the villa has had so many owners that the furniture, which today is in the house, no longer is the original, but an attempt to recreate the trends.