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35-570: It was founded by Cosimo I de' Medici , Grand Duke of Tuscany , in 1548, with the name of Cosmopoli ("Cosimo's City"), to balance the presence of the Spanish citadel in Porto Azzurro . It had three forts (Forte Stella, Forte Falcone, and Forte Inglese) and a massive line of walls, all still visible today. The name evolved from Ferraia with etruscan, Fabricia with Romans and Ferraio with Grand Duchy of Tuscany. The city remained attached to

70-539: A few hours, and Cosimo celebrated his first victory. The prominent prisoners were subsequently beheaded on the Piazza della Signoria or in the Bargello . Filippo Strozzi 's body was found with a bloody sword next to it and a note quoting Virgil , but many believe that his suicide was faked. In 1537, Cosimo sent Bernardo Antonio de' Medici to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to gain recognition for his position as head of

105-589: A granddaughter of Lorenzo the Magnificent . He was the grandson of Caterina Sforza , the Countess of Forlì and Lady of Imola . Cosimo became Duke of Florence in 1537 at age 17, after the former Duke of Florence, Alessandro de' Medici , was assassinated. Cosimo was from a different branch of the Medici family, descended from Giovanni il Popolano , the great-grandson of Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici , founder of

140-447: A painting by Bronzino . Toward the end of July 1537, the exiles marched into Tuscany under the leadership of Bernardo Salviati and Piero Strozzi . When Cosimo heard of their approach, he sent his best troops under Alessandro Vitelli to engage the enemy, which they did at Montemurlo . After defeating the exiles' army, Vitelli stormed the fortress, where Strozzi and a few of his companions had retreated to safety. It fell after only

175-546: A profound influence on later Italian and French gardens through the eighteenth century. Cosimo also finished the Pitti Palace as a home for the Medici and created the magnificent Boboli Gardens behind the Pitti. As his more prominent ancestors had been, he was also an important patron of the arts, supporting, among others, Giorgio Vasari , Benvenuto Cellini , Pontormo , Bronzino , the architect Baldassarre Lanci , and

210-466: Is placed on the northern rampart of Forte Stella built in 1548 by Cosimo I de' Medici in Portoferraio , Elba . The lighthouse was built by Leopod II Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1788; the light stone tower is 25 metres high and has a double balcony and lantern and was restored in 1915. The lighthouse is fully automated, operated by Marina Militare and identified by the code number 2072 E.F.;

245-689: The Battle of Lepanto , and which he entrusted to his new creation, the Knights of St. Stephen . Cosimo is perhaps best known today for the creation of the Uffizi ("offices"). Originally intended as a means of consolidating his administrative control of the various committees, agencies, and guilds established in Florence's Republican past, it now houses one of the world's most important collections of art, much of it commissioned and/or owned by various members of

280-511: The Grand Duchy of Tuscany until the late 18th century, when, due to its strategic position, it came into contention with France , Great Britain , and Austria . A British garrison withstood the Siege of Porto Ferrajo in 1801, but the 1802 Treaty of Amiens transferred the town to France. In 1814 it was handed over to Napoleon Bonaparte , as the seat of his first exile. In the 19th century,

315-554: The Medici Bank . It was necessary to search for a successor outside of the "senior" branch of the Medici family descended from Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici , since the only male child of Alessandro, the last lineal descendant of the senior branch, was born out-of-wedlock and was only four years old at the time of his father's death. Up to the time of his accession , Cosimo had lived only in Mugello (the ancestral homeland of

350-540: The Medici family ) and was almost unknown in Florence. However, many of the influential men in the city favoured him as the new duke. Several hoped to rule through him, thereby enriching themselves at the state's expense. However, as the Florentine literatus Benedetto Varchi famously put it, "The innkeeper's reckoning was different from the glutton's." Cosimo proved strong-willed, astute and ambitious and soon rejected

385-626: The Florentine state. That recognition came in June 1537 in exchange for help against France in the course of the Italian Wars . With this move, Cosimo firmly restored the power of the Medici , who thereafter ruled Florence until the death of the last of the Medici rulers, Gian Gastone de' Medici , in 1737. The help granted to Charles V allowed him to free Tuscany from the Imperial garrisons and to increase as much as possible its independence from

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420-488: The Medici family. His gardens at Villa di Castello , designed by Niccolò Tribolo when Cosimo was only seventeen years old, were designed to announce a new golden age for Florence and to demonstrate the magnificence and virtues of the Medici. They were decorated with fountains, a labyrinth , a grotto and ingenious ornamental water features, and were a prototype for the Italian Renaissance garden . They had

455-702: The Medici with the Pitti Palace and was a patron of the new Jesuit order. The Duchess died with her sons Giovanni and Garzia in 1562, when she was only forty; all three of them were struck down by malaria while traveling to Pisa . Cosimo and Eleanor had: Before his first marriage, Cosimo fathered an illegitimate daughter with an unknown woman: After Eleanor's death in 1562, Cosimo fathered two children with his mistress Eleonora degli Albizzi : In 1570, Cosimo married Camilla Martelli (died 1590) and fathered one child with her: Portoferraio Lighthouse Portoferraio lighthouse ( Italian : Faro di Portoferraio ), called Faro del Forte Stella Lighthouse since

490-671: The Vicar Forane. In 1765, authorization was granted to build a wall around a field designated for use as a Jewish cemetery. The field was situated over the Ponticello ditch, behind Ghiaie beach on the site of the present-day Hotel Villa Ombrosa. The wall with its central door is still visible. Until 1954, there was an inscription on the door which read: Cimitero Israelitico. In 1964, the remaining tombs, about 40 of them, with their inscriptions in Hebrew and Spanish and dating from 1646 to

525-635: The city grew quickly, due to the construction of infrastructures and the exploitation of new iron mills in Rio Marina . Portoferraio then became the main shipping port of the ore to the mainland, whence the current name, meaning "Iron Port" in Italian. After the end of the Napoleonic Era, Portoferraio returned to Tuscany and became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. Here brigand Carmine Crocco

560-411: The clause he had signed that entrusted much of the power of the Florentine duchy to a Council of Forty-Eight. When the Florentine exiles heard of the death of Alessandro, they marshalled their forces with support from France and from disgruntled neighbors of Florence. During this time, Cosimo had an illegitimate daughter, Bia (1537 – 1542), who was portrayed shortly before her premature death in

595-544: The community. In the second half of the 18th century, the Jewish community declined in number due to the worsening of economic conditions on the island. Peace had been signed with the Ottoman Empire resulting in a reduction of military garrisons and the suppression of the “compagnia urbana” made up of 180 men. At the beginning of the 20th century, the construction of a steel mill attracted new Jewish families to

630-451: The daughter of Don Pedro Álvarez de Toledo , the Spanish viceroy of Naples . The couple had a long and peaceful married life. Surprisingly for the era, Cosimo was faithful to his wife throughout their married life. The example of a traditional couple served to strengthen his various reforms and separate their association with the former Duke. Eleanor was a political adviser to her husband and often ruled Florence in his absence. She provided

665-597: The duchy. He built the Uffizi (office) to organize his administration, and conquered Siena to consolidate Florence's rule in Tuscany. He expanded the Pitti Palace and most of the Boboli Gardens were also laid out during his reign. Cosimo was born in Florence on 12 June 1519, the son of the famous condottiere Ludovico de' Medici (known as Giovanni delle Bande Nere ) and his wife Maria Salviati , herself

700-612: The end of the 19th century, were transferred to the new Jewish cemetery in Livorno. The ground was deconsecrated and sold by the Jewish community to a neighbor. It is now the garden of the villa behind it. In 1826, the Governor, at the request of the heads of 10 Jewish families, drew up a set of rules for the Jewish community. The rules were approved by the Grand Duke, Leopold II who nominated two massari ("bailiffs") to represent

735-425: The frequent passage of foreign armies. Examples include the new fortresses of Siena, Arezzo , Sansepolcro , the new walls of Pisa and Fivizzano and the strongholds of Portoferraio on the island of Elba and Terra del Sole . He laid heavy tax burdens on his subjects. Despite his economic difficulties, Cosimo I was a lavish patron of the arts and also developed the Florentine navy, which eventually took part in

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770-420: The historians Scipione Ammirato and Benedetto Varchi . A large bronze equestrian statue of Cosimo I by Giambologna , erected in 1598, still stands today in the Piazza della Signoria , the main square of Florence. Cosimo was also an enthusiast of alchemy , a passion he inherited from his grandmother Caterina Sforza . In 1539, Cosimo married the Spanish noblewoman Eleanor of Toledo (1522 – 1562),

805-544: The island. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Jewish community numbered more than 50 people. In 1702, by order of the Grand Duke, the Jews of Portoferraio were required to live on a designated street, Via degli Ebrei or Street of the Hebrews (now called via Elbano Gasperi) which constituted a small ghetto which they were not allowed to leave after 1 o’clock in the morning. At about this time, Abraham Pardo, son of Isaac,

840-463: The island. However, due to the anti-Jewish laws and persecutions, these families left the island. Alfonso Preziosi, in his book, cited above, wrote “generally, the Jews found the island of Elba to be an oasis of peace thanks to the privileges granted by the Medici and the Lorraine which allowed them to develop their trade with Eastern ports.” On January 27, 2023, the mayor of Portoferraio attended on

875-472: The lantern is at 63 metres (207 ft) above sea level and emits a group of three white lightning flashes in a 14 seconds period visible up to 16 nautical miles . On the same tower is an additional light identified by the number 2072.2 E.F. that emits a red fixed light at 60 metres above sea level to warn the ships about the Capo Bianco shoal. This European lighthouse -related article

910-472: The last redoubt of Sienese independence, was annexed to Cosimo's territories. In 1569, Pope Pius V elevated him to the rank of Grand Duke of Tuscany. In the last 10 years of his reign, struck by the death of two of his sons by malaria , Cosimo gave up active rule of the Florentine state to his son and successor Francesco I . He retreated to live in his villa, the Villa di Castello , outside Florence. Cosimo

945-496: The occasion of Remembrance Day the installation of two historical-informative panels on the surrounding wall of the cemetery and in via Elbano Gasperi where the Ghetto was located in memory of the presence of the Jews. The town center is crowded around the small marina lying in a natural cove. Main points of interest include: The lighthouse stands on the northern rampart of Forte Stella built in 1548 by Cosimo I de' Medici . It

980-509: The overwhelming Spanish influence in Italy. Cosimo next turned his attention to Siena . With the support of Charles V, he defeated the Sienese at the Battle of Marciano in 1554 and laid siege to their city. Despite the inhabitants' desperate resistance, the city fell on 17 April 1555 after a 15-month siege, its population diminished from forty thousand to eight thousand. In 1559, Montalcino ,

1015-581: The publication of the edict of 1556 in which Cosimo I de' Medici granted special privileges to all those who settled in Cosmopoli. In 1593, Ferdinando I de' Medici issued letters patent, called La Livornina, by which more privileges were granted to foreign merchants, Jews in particular, who were willing to settle in the new free ports on Elba and in Leghorn. The first synagogue was built in 1631–1632 when there were barely over ten Jewish families living on

1050-414: The same tower is an additional light identified by the number 2072.2.E.F. that emits a red fixed light at 60 metres above sea level . Cosimo I de%27 Medici Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second and last duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first grand duke of Tuscany , a title he held until his death. Cosimo I succeeded his cousin to

1085-471: Was an authoritarian ruler and secured his position by employing a guard of Swiss mercenaries . In 1548, he managed to have his relative Lorenzino , the last Medici claimant to Florence who had earlier arranged the assassination of Cosimo's predecessor Alessandro, assassinated himself in Venice . Cosimo also was an active builder of military structures, as a part of his attempt to save the Florentine state from

Portoferraio - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-415: Was built by Leopold II Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1788; the stone tower is 25 metres high and has a double balcony and lantern. The lighthouse is fully automated, operated by Marina Militare and identified by the code number 2072 E.F.; the lantern is 63 metres above sea level and emits a group of three white lightning strikes in a 14-second period visible up to 16 nautical miles (roughly 30 km). On

1155-531: Was forbidden to build a new synagogue near the church. He was forced to build it in a garden behind his home, below Fort Stella. All Jewish rituals were celebrated in the synagogue and were attended by Jews from Piombino, Maremme and the rest of the island of Elba. The ecclesiastical authorities sought to isolate the Jewish community by preventing Christians from having any contact with the Jewish community. There were restrictions on all workers and in particular on wet nurses who had to apply for special dispensations from

1190-422: Was imprisoned until his death for his revolution against the reign of Victor Emmanuel II and the anarchist Giovanni Passannante who attempted to kill King Umberto I . During World War II , Portoferraio became the scene of battle when Elba was occupied by German forces. In late June 1944, an Allied force composed mainly of Free French troops liberated the island in a fight that lasted two days. Portoferraio

1225-461: Was taken by French troops on 18 June but was damaged by the fighting and the bombing raids which preceded the invasion. Portoferraio's economy suffered from the end of mining activities starting from the 1970s, but in the following decades, it gained status as an internationally renowned seaside destination. The first Jews arrived in Portoferraio at the beginning of the 17th century following

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