Gorgona Island

Discovering the charms of unspoilt nature 

Surrounded by the Ligurian Sea, the Gorgona is the smallest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, approximately thirty kilometres from the coast. An integral part of the municipality of Livorno, it is mainly rocky and covered with typical Mediterranean scrubland. 

Historically devastated by pirate raids, in 1425 it was abandoned by Carthusian monks who had retreated there and ceded to the Republic of Pisa. The latter were responsible for having the Torre Vecchia built, while the Medici were responsible for the construction of the Torre Nuova, one of the very few buildings along with the fortified church of San Gorgonio and Villa Margherita, built on Roman ruins, where an agricultural colony has been set up. 

Today, the island is home to a small prison colony, otherwise it is almost uninhabited. The stretch of coastline is worth exploring for the beauty of its bays, access to which, however, is strictly controlled by the authorities. While to the west the shoreline falls steeply to the sea, on the eastern stretch the descent is gentler with its three valleys sloping down to the water forming the beaches of Cala Maestra, Cala Marcone and Cala Scirocco. Nearby is the Grotta del Bove Marino, a strategic refuge used by monk seals for undisturbed shelter, thanks to the mild climate without significant temperature fluctuations.