Porto Azzurro is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Livorno The province of Livorno () or, traditionally, province of Leghorn, is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Tuscany region of Italy. It includes several islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, including Elba and Capraia. Its capital is the city of Liv ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

; it is on the island of Elba, located about southwest of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

and about south of

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

. It was formerly called Porto Longone, and in 1557

Iacopo VI Appiani Iacopo VI Appiani (1539 – 15 May 1585) was the lord of Piombino from 1545 until his death, although he was expelled from his state between 1548 and 1557. He was the son and heir of Iacopo V and his wife, Elena, daughter of Giacomo Salviati. He ...

Prince of Piombino The Lordship of Piombino (''Signoria di Piombino''), and after 1594 the Principality of Piombino (''Principato di Piombino''), was a small state on the Italian peninsula centered on the town of Piombino and including part of the island of Elba. ...

, granted Spain the right to build a fortress there, so it was transferred to the

State of the Presidi The State of the ''Presidi'' (, meaning "state of the garrisons") was a small territory on the Tuscan coast of Italy that existed between 1557 and 1801. It consisted of remnants of the former Republic of Siena—the five towns of Porto Ercole ...

that it was born as a direct possession of the crown of Spain. The state had only governors sent by the central Spanish government first and then Austrian.Roberto Ferretti (a cura di), Aspetti e problemi di storia dello Stato dei Presìdi in Maremma, 1979; Giuseppe Caciagli, Stato dei Presidi, Pontedera, Arnera Edizioni, 1992 In 1801,

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

established the

Kingdom of Etruria The Kingdom of Etruria ( ; ) was an Italian kingdom between 1801 and 1807 that made up a large part of modern Tuscany. It took its name from Etruria, the old Roman name for the land of the Etruscans. History The kingdom was created by the ...

. Eventually it was transferred to the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...

References

Cities and towns in Tuscany Elba Populated coastal places in Italy {{Livorno-geo-stub

See also

References