When the Tyrrhenian Venus emerged from the waves of the sea, seven gemstones fell from her tiara, and so the Islands of the Tuscan Archipelago were born. They are Elba, Giglio, Capraia, Gorgona, Pianosa, Giannutri and Montecristo. This is the ancient legend of the birth of the Tuscan Archipelago, extoling the great role played by the sea, which is the essence of today's National Park. It is a protected, terrestrial area of just under eighteen thousand hectares, and a marine area of approximately sixty thousand hectares, the largest European Marine Park.

From legend to science, things change slightly, but the "gems" remain, the "sisters" remain seven sisters joined by the sea. During the Archipelago´s geological history, the movement of the sea, at least four hundred million years old, has altered the number and shape of these gems, it has united them and has detached them from the continent. It has ruled their animal and vegetable domains; it has determined their history, their monuments, their customs and traditions.
Everybody's help is needed to protect this extraordinary, rich, ecological territory. The people who want to explore Capraia's volcanic land or search for the "red beaked seagull", or those who want to visit the ancient "Ilvates'" dwellings on Capanne, or the great "ansonico" terraces on Giglio, are asked to have a special understanding and respect for the area. The same is true for those who simply want to experience the magical silence of Giannutri, or daydream on the mysterious and fascinating Islands of Gorgona, Pianosa and Montecristo.
The National Park has just come to life only a few months ago, and so you still won´t find many radical changes. You will still see a few eyesores - but the National Park exists, the gemstones exist, and they are a gift of both the Tyrrhenian Venus and the generations of men and women who have worked hard to entrich and transform the Islands of the Archipelago.
These men, women and the Tyrrhenian Venus have handed it over to us, and our job is to hand it to the next generations, enhanced by our work carried out in the awareness of the needs and limits of Planet Earth; the "great house" in which we live and in which the whole biological world lives. You are about to visit one of the most beautiful rooms in this "great house". We haven´t had time to tidy it up in the way we would have liked - it will be the next time.