Carloforte
title: "Carloforte" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cities-and-towns-in-sardinia", "1738-establishments-in-italy", "states-and-territories-established-in-1738", "populated-places-established-in-1738", "populated-coastal-places-in-italy", "borghi-più-belli-d'italia"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carloforte" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox Italian comune"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Carloforte |
| official_name | Comune di Carloforte |
| native_name | |
| image_skyline | Carloforte.jpg |
| image_shield | Carloforte-Stemma.png |
| pushpin_map | Italy Sardinia |
| coordinates | |
| region | Sardinia |
| province | Sulcis Iglesiente |
| mayor | Salvatore Puggioni |
| area_total_km2 | 51.1 |
| population_footnotes | |
| population_total | 6190 |
| population_as_of | 31 May 2017 |
| population_demonym | Carlofortini or Tabarchini |
| elevation_m | 10 |
| saint | St. Charles Borromeo |
| day | November 4 |
| postal_code | 09014 |
| area_code | 0781 |
| website | |
| :: |
| name = Carloforte | official_name = Comune di Carloforte | native_name = | image_skyline = Carloforte.jpg | imagesize = | image_alt = | image_caption = | image_shield = Carloforte-Stemma.png | shield_alt = | image_map = | map_alt = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Italy Sardinia | coordinates = | coordinates_footnotes = | region = Sardinia | province = Sulcis Iglesiente | frazioni = | mayor_party = | mayor = Salvatore Puggioni | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 51.1 | population_footnotes = | population_total = 6190 | population_as_of = 31 May 2017 | pop_density_footnotes = | population_demonym = Carlofortini or Tabarchini | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 10 | saint = St. Charles Borromeo | day = November 4 | postal_code = 09014 | area_code = 0781 | website = | footnotes = Carloforte () is a fishing and resort town located on Isola di San Pietro ('Saint Peter's Island'), approximately 7 km off the southwestern coast of Sardinia, Italy, administratively a comune (municipality) in the Province of Sulcis Iglesiente. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ('The most beautiful villages of Italy'). ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Archiotto_e_tipica_scalinata_in_Via_Solferino.jpg" caption="A view of Carloforte."] ::
History
According to a legend, a local church (Chiesa dei Novelli Innocenti) was founded in the early 14th century in honour of hundreds of participants to the so-called Children's Crusade of 1212 who perished in a shipwreck just off the island on their way to North Africa during a gale. The church, called Chiesa dei Novelli Innocenti and is located within the town perimeter, is not currently used as a church (only one time in the year); it was the only evident remainder of building found at the time of colonization in 1739.
Carloforte was founded in the 18th century by around 30 families of coral fishers, descendants of people from the Ligurian town of Pegli, near Genoa, who had left their hometown in 1541, and had settled in the island of Tabarka, off the coast of Tunisia, to fish for coral. After centuries, the coral in that area was exhausted
Economy
Modern-day Carloforte's principal sources of revenue are fishing, tourism, and remittances from the many merchant mariners around the world who hail from Carloforte. Boasting several beaches, both rocky and sandy, the town is a summer tourist destination. On the other side of the island from Carloforte is Capo Sandalo Lighthouse (functioning, now automated). Locally, it is known simply as Il Faro. The structure dates back to the 1880s.
Carloforte has a long-standing tradition of wooden boatbuilding. Locally built traditional lateen sail fishing boats (luggers) can be spotted in the harbour.
To the north of the town (at the La Punta locale) is a collection of buildings that housed the former communally owned tuna-processing plant linked to the once-vibrant tuna fishing tonnare industry on the island. Some of the buildings have undergone renovation to some extent and now contain a wind-surfing school and a privately owned tuna processing business. Some of the buildings are still in ruins, but they remain of great architectural interest.
Education
The town hosts a maritime high school.
Transportation
Ferry services operated by Delcomar connect the port of Carloforte with the Sardinian mainland at Portovesme as well as Calasetta, a similar fishing port on Sant'Antioco Island hosting another community of Tabarchini.
Twin towns – sister cities
- ESP Alicante, Spain
- ESP Tabarca, Spain
- ITA Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy
- ITA Pegli, Italy
- ITA Camogli, Italy
- ITA Montecchio Maggiore, Italy from 2009
References
References
- All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute [[National Institute of Statistics (Italy). Istat]].
- {{cite EB1911
- "Sardegna".
- admin. (December 2021}} To this day, Carloforte maintains strong cultural ties with the mainland towns of Pegli and Genoa: the population still speaks a variety of [[Ligurian language (Romance)). "Carloforte, the Sulcis town where Tabarchino is spoken".
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