Set in a considerably prized natural environment next to the Santa Caterina Hermitage, an age-old site of meditation and prayer that probably dates to the Romanesque period, the Elba herb garden was largely altered in 1634. Instituted in 1997 by initiative of writer and photographer Hans Georg Berger, with the collaboration of Gabriella Corsi and Fabio Garbari of the University of Pisa, the Garden purposes to study the biodiversity of the flora of the Tuscan archipelago. The various species are identified by cards that offer detailed information on their characteristics and use, in medicine and nutrition, practised by the local populations. The Department of Botanical Sciences of the University of Pisa works with the Garden to increase the collection of autochthonous plants.