Spiaggia Di Barbarossa, Beach in Porto Azzurro, Italy

Spiaggia di Barbarossa is a 160-metre beach of fine dark gravel mixed with sand, about 30 metres wide, in a bay near Porto Azzurro on the south-eastern side of Elba. It is sheltered from all winds except those from the south, and rocky inlets at its sides are used for snorkelling and diving.

The name is linked to the Ottoman admiral Khayr al-Din Barbarossa, whose fleet raided Elba in the 16th century. A rival explanation ties it instead to a reddish earth cliff above a small cove left of the beach, which from afar resembles a beard (barba).

The beach's name may come from the Turkish admiral Khayr al-Din Barbarossa, who landed on Elba in the 16th century, or from the red earth cliff above a small cove to the left of the beach, which from afar resembles a beard. A panoramic walk along the perimeter of the 17th-century Forte Longone, still a prison, links the beach to Porto Azzurro.

The beach is the closest to Porto Azzurro, reachable on foot along the panoramic walk that skirts the perimeter of the 17th-century Forte Longone, still used as a prison. It is sheltered from all winds except those from the south. Bars and restaurants serve the shore, and rocky inlets at both ends suit snorkelling and diving.

The name may come not from the corsair but from a reddish clay cliff above a small cove left of the beach, reachable only by swimming; from a distance its shape resembles a beard, barba in Italian. The other explanation credits Khayr al-Din Barbarossa, who landed on Elba in the 16th century.