Napoleon

During our visit to Corsica, Napoleon was a recurring theme and it is exactly the same here in Elba. At the Treaty of Fontainebleu, when he abdicated, he was granted the kingdom of Elba. He was only here for 9 months before he left Elba and was then captured by the British and sent to St. Helena where he eventually died.


In his 9 months here, he certainly achieved a lot. We visited the theatre that he had constructed as he did not consider his nearby summer residence was large enough for theatrical performances when he entertained guests. We were unable to visit this residence as it was closed for restoration.

We did visit his main residence which was about 8km away. The walls at the entrance had the monogram N on the stone walls, the gate pillars were topped with bronze eagles and the drive sweeping through the extensive grounds looked quite impressive. The house is still furnished and the large Egyptian room, a reminder of his Egyptian campaign, came complete with a pool growing papyrus.

A separate wing contained a large gallery with interesting Napoleon memorabilia, including originals of political cartoons of the day.

                                         The eagle guards the terrace at Napoleon's house.

                                       One of the formal rooms.

Le Tigre Exchange

The Egyptian room