One more reason to visit Lacona

The Gulf of Lacona looks like a stretch of golden beach protected on both sides by the green promontories Capo di Fonza Capo di Stella.

The dunes represent the peculiarity of the beach: from the sea fine sand slopes gently into dune formations with abundant vegetation, herbaceous in the area directly adjacent to the beach and woody in the interior, characterized by rich and shady pine forests.

From these forests depart the “Dune’s Paths”, paths immersed in the landscape, crossing the dunes behind the beach up to the rocky ridges. Especially in spring and autumn these dunes can give their whole wonder of colors.

The Vegetation

Across the Elba Island, just in Lacona the typical vegetation of the sandy coastal deposits is still visible. It mainly consists of Salsola soda and Rughetta sea. Throughout the Tuscan archipelago, even the typical dune vegetation is now present only in the Gulf of Lacona.

Valuable species, such as the sea lily on the dunes, chamomile and sea rush, grow on the dunes, as well as species rarely reported in the books concerning the flora of Elba, such as the Bee Ophrys orchid.

Another unique aspect of Lacona is the (counter) trend of the beach to move forward. The dune systems are, in fact, a natural dam at high water, a protection for the backshore environment and an accumulation of sand capable of powering the coast and then in part to contrast the effects of erosion.