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For ten months, from spring 1814 to February 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled on the island of Elba. In Portoferraio, the town he chose as his capital, he owned two main residences: the Palazzina dei Mulini and the Villa San Martino, respectively the public and private residences of the exiled emperor. The project involves the redevelopment of the gardens pertaining to the Palazzina dei Mulini, located at the top of the defensive walls of Portoferraio, and the park of Villa San Martino, located in a small valley not far from the town.
PALAZZINA DEI MULINI
At the time of his arrival on the island of Elba, Napoleon chose for himself and his court the military pavilions of the Mulini, strategically located between Fort Falcone and Fort Stella, overlooking the town, the harbor and the stretch of sea to the Tuscan coast. The squares and steps facing the sea were unified into a garden in which Napoleon arranged an avenue of orange trees with other botanical specimens purchased in Florence and Genoa. Following ups and downs, the process of restoring the buildings and outer spaces began after World War II through various restorations. Since 1964 the Palazzina dei Mulini has been to all intents and purposes a Napoleonic museum open to the public.
The project aims to recover the spirit of the Napoleonic-era garden according to a philological approach, while also taking into account today’s use.
In general, the greenery of all the flowerbeds was reviewed to create a geometric design more akin to what must have been the Italian style that historically characterized the garden. The interventions and design choices were motivated in particular by the desire to recover, where possible, some vegetation elements evident in the historical iconography. In particular, it was chosen to restore the row of trees along the rampart, upgrade the walled garden with new espaliers of citrus trees, and recover the vegetable gardens and orchards in the upper terraces. The project also includes the rehabilitation of paving, stairs and curbs, with the aim of making the gardens accessible to all types of users, as well as the restoration of the walls and the inclusion of furniture to improve the usability of the spaces.
VILLA SAN MARTINO
Napoleon chose this valley not far from the town of Portoferraio to house an agricultural estate and a small country villa, given the presence of a spring coming down the hill and a system of slopes to protect the crops from the winds. Following the precipitous flight from Elba and the well-known epilogue of the Napoleonic era, Villa San Martino passed to the emperor’s heirs until, in 1856, it was purchased by the Russian nobleman Anatolio Demidoff, a great art collector and, above all, an indefatigable admirer of Napoleon’s exploits
The original building and its appurtenances were drastically altered by the construction of the Demidoff Gallery and the long straight avenue of access, which completely altered the relationship between the modest original building in which Napoleon stayed – briefly – and the surrounding context, which from agricultural became to all intents and purposes a typical example of a nineteenth-century park. The Napoleonic gallery later became a museum and exhibition space for various long-term exhibitions, and is now dedicated to the figure of Napoleon.
Based on what has been said, and on the principles set forth in the Charter of Historic Gardens known as the “Florence Charter,” unlike the Palazzina dei Mulini, it is difficult to implement a philological restoration of the park to re-propose what it was at the time of Napoleon. For this reason, the project has necessarily focused on the preservation and enhancement of the existing, trying to enhance as much as possible the spirit of the place, re-proposing through targeted interventions some elements that characterized it in Napoleonic times. The project includes securing the wooded area by felling and pruning existing trees, reopening paths and upgrading paving, as well as installing benches and picnic tables.
