Stone domes and mysterious menhir formations
Although Neanderthal man was Elba’s first inhabitant, the island’s most important settlements date back to the 3rd millennium B.C., the Copper Age.
Burial sites, complete with funeral paraphernalia, decorated earthenware, flint arrow-heads and various copper objects, especially those used in combat, remain from this period; just as valuable to archaeologists are the Bronze Age Storerooms, caches dug into the ground, where communities stored various objects, jewels, working tools and weapons. More distinctive and clearly visible on the landscape are the so-called Caprili, used since prehistoric times and found, in particular, on Monte Capanne.
These are circular or elliptical constructions, up to 13 meters wide, with dry walls, covered with branches or, more rarely, with stone roofs consisting of concentric rings that become gradually narrower until they form a conical dome.
Various menhirs can also be found on Monte Capanne: tall upright stones, some of which are arranged in mysterious formations.