San Pietro Island

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The beach on the south coast of the island.

The so called "Columns of Carloforte".

San Pietro Island (Italian: Isola di San Pietro) is an island approximately 7 km off the South western Coast of Sardinia, Italy, facing the Sulcis peninsula. With 51 km² it is the sixth Italian island by surface. The c. 6,000 inhabitants are mostly concentrated in the fishing town of Carloforte, the only comune in the island. It is included in the province of Carbonia-Iglesias.

The island is connected by regular ferry service to Portovesme and Calasetta.

[edit] Geography

The island is of volcanic origin. The 18 km of its coasts are mostly rocky; the western and northern part includes some natural grottoes and harbours with a few small beaches. The eastern coast, on which the port of Carloforte lies, is instead low and sandy.

Off the north-western coast are two small islands, the Isola dei Ratti and Isola Piana. The latter includes the remains of one of the largest tonnara in Italy, now turned into a tourist resort.

The island has no rivers or streams, but features numerous ponds and marshes. The interior is hilly, the highest points being the Bricco Guardia dei Mori (211 m) and Bricco Tortoriso (208 m).

The vegetation is that typical of the Mediterranean coast, with Cistus, Mastic, Strawberry Tree, Juniper, Aleppo Pine and Holm Oak. Cultivation, held especially in the eastern and more protected region, includes grape (Vitis vinifera), fig and Indian fig.

The climate is temperate-hot.

[edit] History

The island is known since ancient times. The Phoenicians called it Enosim or Inosim, while for the Greek it was Hieracon Nesos and for the Romans Accipitrum Insula (Sparrowhawk Island). The latter derived from the presence of the small Eleonora's Falcon, which is still present on the island. San Pietro is home today remains from Phoenician, Roma and Sardinian civilizations.

According to a legend, St. Peter visited the island in 46 AD, whence the modern name.

In the 18th century the uninhabited San Pietro was colonized by Ligurian-speaking people coming from the Tunisian town of Tabarka. Today most of the population has retained a variant of Genoese dialect, called Tabarchino, which is also spoken in the northern part of the Sant'Antioco island, near Calasetta.