Carloforte and St. Peter's Island Location Guide

The town of Carloforte is located on a tiny island of Saint Peter, about 4km off the southwestern coast of Sardinia, Italy. Many have focused their attention on thissmall piece of paradise because of its diverse Mediterranean culture, with its north African, Ligurian and Sardinian influences.

The sea plays an integral part in the lives of the inhabitants, in particular, fishermen and skillful tonnarotti (tuna fishermen), who are responsible for a fascinating, if somewhat bloody, tradition, known as La Mattanza, the ritual killing of schools of migrating tuna.

The littoral area alternates small sandy coves with wind-whipped rock formations and cliffs in the northern part of the island. The northeastern part, on the other hand, is home of the LIPU reserve, which hosts an excellent colony of the endangered Eleonora’s Falcon.

10 Things to See and Do
Stroll along the caruggi in the historic centre
Visit the Calavinagra cliffs
Taste cashà, derived from Tunisian couscous
Visit the city’s museum & tuna fishery
Visit the LIPU reserve
Sunbathe on the sandy beaches of Bobba or Le Colonne cliffs
Visit Capo Sandalo and the lighthouse on the western part of the island
Scuba dive
Visit the salines, which host several colonies of migratory birds
Take a boat trip to the Mezzaluna grottos

Local Events

May

Every year the island celebrates the ancient traditions and culture surrounding the Mattanza (tuna slaughter) in the form of a tuna festival known as Girotonno.
An opportunity to taste local food specialties (prepared by international master chefs) enjoy cultural and artistic events, food & wine tastings as well as music and entertainment.

September

The Creuza de mà Film Music Festival This festival takes its name from a Genoese song by Fabrizio De Andrè and pays tribute to this great singer/songwriter. The festival honours the ties between Saint Peter’s island and Liguria, hometown of the Carloforte founders. There are four days of meetings with musicians and filmmakers, concerts and projections and is part of a wider Sardinian programme of film festivals.

Local Specialties

Cashcà is a variant of the north African couscous, brought over by the Ligurian fishermen, who formerly resided on Tabarka island in Tunisia. Cashcà is made of semolina cooked with steam and enriched with separately cooked vegetables (cauliflower, onion and carrots, as well as artichokes, peas, broad beans and even chick peas).
Farinata is a typical Ligurian/Genoese dish known as Fainò. The main ingredient is chickpea flour which is prepared with luke-warm water and left to rest. Then olive oil and salt is added – eat hot, almost boiling temperature.

Spotlight on The history of the island
Carloforte was founded in 1738 by a group of Ligurian fishermen who were originally from the Ligurian suburb of Pegli. They had been transplanted in Tabarka, Tunisia by the Lomellini, the lords of Pegli, to exploit the rich coral reeds that lay close to the Tunisian coast. Once the coral was exhausted, they were granted the feudal title to the island of Saint Peter by Carlo Emanuele III, King of Piedmont and Sardinia. The name Carloforte (Charles Fort) was given to the town they established in his honour.
The population still speaks a variant of Ligurian language, which is very different to the language spoken by the rest of the Sardinian population and many street names bear the bi lingual versions. Ligurian influences are seen in the island’s architecture: from the architecture of 17th and 18th century buildings built beyond the city walls during the first settlement to the narrow alleys known as Caruggi, reminiscent of Ligurian fishing villages.

How to get there
Saint Peter is the second biggest island on the Sulcitano archipelago after Sant’Antioco, (the neighbouring island) and is located in the southwestern part of Sardinia.
By ferry: To reach Carloforte you must take a ferry. The ferries depart from Portovesme on the Sardinian coast and from Calasetta, a small town in the centre on the neighbouring island of Sant' Antioco, connected by bridge to Sardinia. The journey takes approximately 30 minutes and can be booked in advance through either Saremar or Delcomar, the two Sardinian ferry companies.
By plane: Cagliari airport is very well connected to all major airports both in Italy and abroad. There are frequent flights, often daily, from many European countries such as Madrid, Paris, Stockholm and London, thanks to the many low-budget airlines including Ryanair and Easy Jet. There are also frequent flights from all major Italian cities: Milan, Rome, Turin, Bergamo, Verona, Venezia, Bologna, Florence and Naples.
You can get from Cagliari airport to Portovesme or Calasetta (where the ferry departs) by taxi or bus (there is also a bus service that goes to the centre of Cagliari from the airport) as well as hiring a car.
By boat: The nearest port is in Cagliari. Boats depart daily for and from Civitavecchia (the nearest port to Rome). Boats from Naples and Palermo (Sicily) depart on a weekly basis. Once arrived at the port in Cagliari you need to head to Portoscuso or Calasetta to catch a ferry to St. Peter’s island.
By bus: The buses belong to the Sardinian railway company, Ferrovie Meridionali Sarde and the national railway company,Trenitalia. The journey by bus from Cagliari to either Portoscuso or Calasetta is somewhat lengthy and takes approximately 3 hours. You will need to change buses several times, however it’s a very panoramic route as you drive through many Sardinian villages.