Carloforte

The island of San Pietro is 51 kmq, the second island of the exciting archipelago and is situated in the southwest of Sardinia.

Carloforte is the only habited centre on the island. Founded during the reign of Carlo Emanuele III, a colony of ligurian fishermen orginally from Tabarka, a large island of Tunisia. The ligurian origin of the inhabitants also confirmed in the dialect, in the traditions, in the customs and in the town place, you can visit noted historic centre with the famous ‘carrugi’. In the northwest coast, there are other rocky baths of a crystel clear sea, while in the southwest part of the island slopes down into the sea spotted with white beaches of very fine sand. While inland, runs the mediterrean fault line, and is made up of Aleppo pine trees, rosemary and nana palm trees. In the rock face, the seagulls nest alongside the falcons of the region.

San Pietro Island is famous for its enviable clear blue sea and for its seafood. Renown is the tuna fished in these waters, as it is freshly fished everyday in Carloforte, the only town on the island.

The ritual of the “Mattanza” is a well known festival and it takes place between May and June. People go to Carloforte from all over the world to taste the tuna fish at its best and every year a clan of Japanese chefs would bargain for the best fishes. This festival offers a variety of food ranging from fresh home made pasta, with Genovese pesto and tuna fish, which is the main ingredient for a big variety of food. The festival also gathers food artisans that present to the guests their plates of fresh food, from the famous canestrelli, pizzas, and focaccias.

The island offers great diving spots, with rich variety of marine flora and fauna. The city centre has as main epicentre its square and the seafront promenade, where the locals meet friends for an aperitif in a bar, to eat a pizza or enjoy a fresh home made ice cream. Carloforte has various restaurants, pizzerias, pubs and clubs.