The Old Town's spiderweb of narrow streets and alleys staggers uphill from the old harbour to Portoferraio's defining twinset of forts, Forte Falcone and the salmon-pink Forte Stella , revealing deserted 16th-century ramparts to wander and seagulls freewheeling overhead.
From central square Piazza Cavour head uphill along Via Garibaldi to the foot of the monumental Scalinata Medici , a fabulous mirage of 140 wonky stone steps cascading up through every sunlit shade of amber to the dimly lit, 17th-century Chiesa della Misericordia . Inside is Napoleon's death mask. Continue to the top of the staircase to reach the forts and Villa dei Mulini , where Napoleon lived in when in Elba.
