Earth from Space: Mediterranean pearls This Envisat image shows
the island of Elba off Italy’s north western coast. To the east
is the Italian mainland and region of Tuscany, while the small
island of Pianosa is visible in the lower-left corner. According
to legend, the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago appeared when
Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, emerged from the sea.
Seven pearls slipped from her neck, forming the seven islands of
the archipelago. Elba is the largest of this chain. Covering an
area of over 220 sq km, the terrain ranges from high mountains
in the west to lower hills in the east, with a small flat area
in between. Mining for iron on Elba dates back to the ancient
Ligurians and the Etruscan times. After 480 BC the Romans
invaded the island, taking over the iron industry and
discovering the curative mud baths. Today, visitors continue to
use the baths for therapeutic purposes. The island of Pianosa
was the site of a maximum security prison until 1998. Today,
prisoners who are still serv