Carloforte

Carloforte, is the only inhabited center of the Island of San Pietro, a summer popular destination. Among its characteristics there is the Genoese dialect imported by the coral fishermen from Liguria (mainly from Pegli) that, after having lived for a long time in an island in front of Tabarca (Tunisia), were looking for a more secure landing place for their business activities, trying to avoid the continuous incursions of the pirates. The king Carlo Emanuele III of Savoia welcomed them, and once they settled down in the Island of Saint Peter, they founded Carloforte. Later, an other fishermen group from Liguria asked for hospitality to the Savoia (others instead preferred going to Spain), after obtaining their freedom from the slavery of the Tunis government, starting from 1741.

In the Twenties, a mercantile marine connection with the mine of Masua (territory of Iglesias) was really active, and through a spectacular high outlet of Porto Flavia, it permitted to embark directly the extracted minerals (lead and zinc) on the ships holds, which then stopped at Carloforte. This locality is characterized by the pastel colours of the dwellings facing the port and by some handicraft activities handed down from centuries (for example the axe masters, that constructed boats in valuable wood), and it also boasts a rich eating-and-drinking tradition: we suggest the spaghetti “alla Carlofortina”, sea urchins, cous-cous (a North African dish, which from more than a century is part of the typical Carlofortina kitchen and it is here called "cascà"), fresh tuna fish and the "Pilau".

During the year, Carloforte host some particular events, such as the Girotonno (gastronomic appointment with the tuna fish proposed in various recipes according the local tradition), at the beginning of June, the cascà Festival (in April) and the festivity of the Madonna of the Slave: every 15th of November, since the XIX century, the devoted people from Carloforte gives life to a procession to thank the Madonna, that saved a thousand of local men from the slavery in Tunisia.

The Island of San Pietro is among the favorite tourist destination in the southern part of Sardinia. It is mainly an hill area, and its highest peak is the Guard of the Moors (Guardia dei Mori, 211 meters). The coasts are characterized by a strong presence of falaises, shaped by the winds and the sea. Small sandy bay are also present here. The Lipu (BirdLife International Italian environmentalist Association ) in collaboration with the Province and the Municipality of Carloforte has realized a naturalistic Oasis along 236 hectares between Cala Fico and Cala Vinagra, where it is possible to observe the hawk of the Queen, the travelling hawk, the gheppio, the poiana and other bird species.