Carloforte is the only inhabitated town on the island of San Pietro (Saint Peter’s) off the South West Coast of Sardinia.
Although the town is in this region of Italy, it’s heart is really Genovese: it’s considered an area of old Genoa.
In 1738 a group of Ligurians accepted a proposal from King Carlo Emmanuel III of Savoy to colonise the island, deserted at that time.
In honour of the king, the town is called Carloforte and the city was designed by Piedmontese architect Augusto de la Vallée.
In 1798 Carloforte was bombarded by a ferocious pirate attack: 900 people were caught and held as slaves in Tunisi for five years.
They were later released, and now some surrounding walls and a fort remain after the barbaric invasions.
Today Carloforte is famous for it’s tuna fish, which are exported even in Japan.
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