The story of Adami

Credit for many of the archaeological discoveries on Giannutri is due to a man from Livorno named Gualtiero Adami who, together with his brother Osvaldo, wanted to settle on the island and become a farmer. In 1882 Adami, a former Garibaldian looking to escape civilisation, became a permanent resident of Giannnutri and converted an old cistern of the Roman villa into his home, creating a few rooms with a fireplace. His story intertwined with that of Marietta, the daughter of a friend, who had come to visit the island and had fallen madly in love with Adami. Despite being 30 years younger than him, she swore to return to the island to share her life with him, and this she did three years later, never leaving Giannutri again. Their only pastime, apart from the difficult life of farming and fishing, was the excavation of the ruins of the Roman villa, which they carried out with passion and dedication. When Adami died in 1922, at the age of 84, Marietta decided to continue living on Giannutri, but loneliness, combined with the pain of loss, made her increasingly prone to madness. Both are now buried on Giglio, close even after death, and it is said that the voice of her ghost can still be heard sometimes during the night.