Mount Capanne
1,019 m
Italy
Also known as Monte Capanne, mont CapanneAlso known as
Monte Capanne · mont Capanne
- Elevation
- 1,019 m
- Prominence
- 1,019 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Apr–May
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 10 Jul 2026
The Marciana–Monte Capanne cable car opened late for its 2026 summer season, on 11 July 2026. Hours: 10:00–17:30 (June–September, last descent 18:00) and 10:00–17:00 (April, May, October, last descent 17:30); the operator may change them without notice (ticket office +39 0565 901020).
elbapress.it
Routes
1The classic way up Elba's highest point: from Marciana through chestnut woods to the 6th-century hermitage of San Cerbone, then steeply up open granite slopes, crossing the Grande Traversata Elbana, past Monte Corto to the cable car top station and the summit with its antenna masts. About 650–760 m of ascent and 2 hours up; the cable car offers an easy way down.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 3.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +681 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 1,019 m
- Time Up
- 2h 41m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 46m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start in Marciana (about 375 m) or at the cable car valley station car park just south of the village. Path 101 climbs through a shady chestnut wood to the Romitorio di San Cerbone (about 530 m, 35 minutes), a small hermitage said to date from the 6th century, when Saint Cerbone hid here from the Lombards. Behind the hermitage the path steepens and climbs the north-east flank, crossing the GTE (Grande Traversata Elbana) and later rejoining it by an old shepherds' shelter (caprile); keep right onto 101. The last 700 m or so are steeper, over exposed granite slabs and sparse scrub with no shade, passing the rocky top of Monte Corto (949 m) on the right, to the cable car top station (about 950 m, with a seasonal café and viewing terraces). A few minutes more lead to the summit (1,019 m), crowded with antenna masts but with a full view over Elba and the surrounding sea. Allow about 2 hours up. Descend the same way (good, sometimes steep paths), take the cable car down, or descend south-east via Le Filicaie on path 100, which has a short cabled section over sloping granite (signed EEA, comparable to an easy A/B via ferrata) before returning to San Cerbone and Marciana. A short-cut path just right of the cable car line is overgrown and blocked by fallen trees in places. There is no water on the route.
Start
Marciana337 m
- Cabinovia Marciana–Monte Capanne (open basket cabins, about 15–18 minutes from about 375 m to about 950 m); 2026 season from 11 July, daily 10:00–17:30 in high season, 10:00–17:00 in April, May and October.
- Buses run from Portoferraio to Marciana; check the island timetable.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marciana → Monte Capanne | 3.2 | 681 | 0 | 2h 41m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Marciana337 m
- Waypoint: Romitorio di San Cerbone535 m
- Feature: Monte Corto921 m
- Summit: Monte Capanne1,019 m
Key Passages
- Chestnut woods to the Romitorio di San Cerbone
- Steep, shadeless granite slopes below Monte Corto
Equipment
0/4 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The highest point of Elba and of the province of Livorno (1,019 m), a granite dome rising straight from the sea above Marciana. A two-hour walk or a ride in a basket cable car leads to a summit of antenna masts and a wide view over the island and the Tuscan Archipelago.
Monte Capanne dominates the western end of Elba, its granite ridges dropping in a few kilometres from over 1,000 m to the sea at Marciana Marina, Pomonte and Chiessi. It lies within the Tuscan Archipelago National Park (Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago Toscano) and is the island's highest summit; with no higher ground nearby, its prominence equals its height.
The summit is not wild: antenna masts crown the top, and a cable car of small open basket cabins runs up from Marciana to a station just below it, with a café and viewing terraces. But the walk up is a good one, through chestnut woods to the hermitage of San Cerbone and then over bare granite slabs with the sea far below, and the ridges radiating from the summit carry some of Elba's best paths, including the Grande Traversata Elbana.
From the top the view takes in the whole of Elba, the Le Calanche ridge, the Gulf of Procchio and the surrounding sea and islands.
Climbing Notes
Any fit walker can do the ascent: about 2 hours and 650–760 m up from Marciana on steep but good paths, with no technical difficulty on the normal route. The upper slopes are open granite with no shade or water, so in summer start early, carry plenty of water and protect yourself from the sun. Many people walk up and ride the cable car down (or the reverse); check the operating hours, as the last descent is at 17:30–18:00.
The south-east descent via Le Filicaie (path 100) includes a short cabled section on sloping granite and is signed EEA; take it only if you are sure-footed and comfortable with exposure. In winter the summit can see snow and strong winds, but the route is usually walkable year-round in dry weather.
History
The Romitorio di San Cerbone, passed on the normal route, is considered Elba's oldest place of worship: tradition holds that Saint Cerbone, bishop of Populonia, hid here in the 6th century while fleeing the Lombards, and the site later became a small monastery.
Season
Best Apr–May- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Good
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Good
- July: Possible
- August: Possible
- September: Good
- October: Best
- November: Good
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Cold winds, occasional snow; cable car closed
- Feb
- Cable car closed
- Mar
- Mild; cable car closed until its spring opening
- Apr
- Good walking temperatures
- May
- Good walking temperatures; flowering maquis
- Jun
- Getting hot; start early
- Jul
- Hot and shadeless upper slopes; start very early or use the cable car
- Aug
- Hot; busy with island tourism
- Sep
- Warm; start early
- Oct
- Good temperatures; cable car on low-season hours
- Nov
- Cable car season ends in autumn; check dates
- Dec
- Possible in dry weather; cable car closed
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Cable car (Cabinovia Marciana–Monte Capanne) tickets if used
- Rules
- Within the Tuscan Archipelago National Park; follow park rules and stay on marked paths
- Getting There
Marciana (Elba)
Pisa (PSA); Elba's small Marina di Campo airport (EBA) has limited seasonal flights
- Ferry from Piombino to Portoferraio, then by road via Procchio and Marciana Marina to Marciana
- Car park at the cable car valley station just below Marciana
- Island buses run from Portoferraio to Marciana
Hazards
- Weather