Some historical images - old photos of the slopes of Mount Capanne - reveal a landscape different in appearance to the one we see today, probably less green and with the mountainsides largely transformed into terraces covered with rows of grapevines. This was the result of millennia of work by the people of Elba (once more farmers than fishermen and sailors, due to necessity and tradition) in order to turn it into arable land.

Firstly, a trench was dug, after which a foundation of larger blocks was laid, then overlaid with smaller stones. The gaps were filled with smaller gravel and finer material to aid drainage. In rockier areas, the strips created in this way were filled with fertile earth brought from elsewhere. Small stone steps were also added at regular intervals for accessing the higher terraces. The inhabitants of this area, perhaps having little choice, had always worked hard to transform the mountainsides into an expanse of vineyards and fruit and vegetable gardens. Cultivating the land and selling wine were their main sources of income, supplemented by a little hunting and fishing to meet the modest needs of their families.

It was a hard way to make a living, but environmentally friendly and in harmony with nature. Today, lush vegetation is returning to most of the abandoned terraces. A keen eye can still make out the features of this 'micro-landscape', where each stone, plant, tree, stream and path once had particular importance and meaning. This was once the 'realm' of agriculture, an intensive activity with great attention to detail - almost an art form - reminiscent of the landscape of the Ligurian coast. Over more recent centuries, the inhabitants became scattered in small, rural areas, some not far from the coast; modest clusters connected by sea or by the mule tracks which have become the paths we are now walking.