Departure. On quitting the harbour, the steamboat commands a beautiful retrospect of the town. To the W. the island of Gorgona rises abruptly from the sea. The vessel now proceeds in a S. direction, and the island of Capraja soon appears; in the distance the dark outlines of Corsica. To the E. the coast continues visible, to the N.E. the Apennines. The steamer then threads its way between the island of Elba, with the Porto Longone and the islands of Palmajola and Cerboli and the Punta di Piombino, a beautiful passage. The retrospect of the small rocky islands, furnished like the numerous promontories of the coast with lighthouses, is particularly picturesque. Somewhat later the island of Pianosa is passed; farther S. Giglio and Argentaro with the beautifully-formed Monte Argentario, rising immediately from the sea; farther off is the small island of Giannutri.
The coast becomes flat. Civitavecchia, situated picturesquely on an eminence, soon becomes visible in the distance.