Carloforte Voyage Tips and guide

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Carloforte is among the first tourist centres on the southwestern coast of Sardinia, Italy. The town is appreciated for its cultural and linguistic distinctiveness, its remarkable culinary tradition with Ligurian and Tunisian influences, and its landscape characterized by wild cliffs and excellent swimming beaches.

In the centre of the eastern coast of the island of San Pietro in the Sulcis archipelago, which is part of the Sulcis subregion in Sud Sardegna, Carloforte (U Pàiže, meaning "The Village" in Tabarchan Ligurian, Carluforti in Campidanese Sardinian) develops on a hill starting from the port, facing the coasts of Portoscuso, San Giovanni Suergiu, and Calasetta.

The first inhabitants of the area of present-day Carloforte were the Nuragic people, as evidenced by some remains of a monotorre nuraghe found near the old mining washery not far from the town. Similarly to other sites in Sulcis, first among them Sant'Antioco, a Phoenician trading post called Enosim or Inosim was established alongside the Nuragic settlement around the 8th century BC, to be located in the area of the San Vittorio tower, which today houses the museum that tells the story of the island from its geological origins to the time of the Tabarchina foundation. Traces of the Punic colony have also been found in the upper part of the current urban center, between the church of Novelli Innocenti and the sports field.

The Phoenician city later became Roman, the thriving commercial center of Accipitrum insula ("island of the sparrowhawks"), which would take the name of San Pietro only in the early medieval period, when the Sulcis archipelago was already almost depopulated due to the attacks of Saracen piracy that had forced the Sardinian population to retreat to the interior of the mother island, particularly to the villages of Tratalias and Iglesias.

In 1738, the Ligurian inhabitants of the Tunisian island of Tabarka, feeling threatened by the raïs of Tunis and Algiers, sought help from King Carlo Emanuele II of Savoy to grant them a safe place to settle, receiving the island of San Pietro as a fief. The newly founded settlement was named Carloforte in honor of the sovereign and chose San Carlo Borromeo as its patron saint. The colonists proved determined and tenacious in reclaiming arable land from the marshy areas, continuing the art of tuna fishing, which migrates along the northern coast of the island where the tuna fishery stands, and in resisting the waves of North African corsairs who periodically attacked the town with terrible raids and kidnappings (notably in 1798 when more than 900 Carlofortinians were enslaved), after which it was decided to build fortifications, starting in 1806, that are still visible in the upper district of Castello.

After a 19th-century interlude dedicated to the maritime transport of minerals extracted from the Sulcis mines, the economy of the village from the second half of the 20th century has turned to fishing, craftsmanship, and tourism, activities in which the Carlofortinians show great pride in their origins, culture, and language.

• Carloforte Tourism website

It is about 70 km (43 mi) by car from Cagliari.

The nearest airport is Cagliari-Elmas Airport. From here you can rent a car. Alternatively, you can take the direct line 160 ARST or the frequent Trenitalia train to Piazza Matteotti in Cagliari, where you can take an ARST bus to the ports of Calasetta or Portovesme or a train to Carbonia.

You need to reach the ports of Calasetta or Portovesme from where ferries depart for Carloforte of the Delcomar company on which you can embark your vehicle.

The frequent Delcomar ferries connect Carloforte with Calasetta and with the ferry terminal in the industrial area of Portovesme (Portoscus). In case of bad weather, the connections with Portovesme are interrupted, while only those with Calasetta remain active

From Cagliari to Carbonia Serbariu station with Trenitalia. From here you need to reach the ports of Calasetta or Portovesme with ARST buses or alternatively you can rent a bike and reach Sant'Antioco with the protected cycle path and then the port of Calasetta.

From Cagliari, Carbonia, Iglesias, Sant'Antioco with the scheduled service of the regional company ARST you can reach the ports of Calasetta and Portovesme. From here the Delcomar ferries depart and arrive in Carloforte.

Using a car in the historic centre is not recommended, it is better to park it in one of the parking spaces near the port. As an alternative to your own vehicles, you can contact one of the companies that rent bicycles, scooters and cars such as MIAMAR noleggi.

Within the municipal territory there is an active bus transport system managed by ARST that allows you to reach beaches and other locations on the island of San Pietro.

• 39.1455568.3052781 Parish Church of San Carlo Borromeo (La chiesa di San Carlo Borromeo). 18th-century church. 
• 39.1458.3058332 Church of the Madonna dello Schiavo (La chiesa della Madonna dello Schiavo). 
• 39.14258.2991673 Church of the Holy New Innocents (Chiesa dei Santi Novelli Innocenti). 13th-century church. 
• 39.1431468.3026084 Parish Church of St. Peter the Apostle (Chiesa parrocchiale di San Pietro Apostolo). 

• 39.1463898.3052785 Civic Museum (Museo Civico), Via Cisterna del Re 20/24, ☏ +39 0781 855880. Full €2.00, reduced €1.50. 
• 39.1369448.3116676 Multimedia Museum Torre San Vittorio (Museo Multimediale Torre San Vittorio), Torre di San Vittorio, Località Spalmadureddu, ☏ +39 0781 8589260. Sa Su 10:00-13:00 and 15:00-19:00; other days on request. Local history museum. 

• 39.1409938.3088367 Saline di Carloforte (La Via del Sale), Viale dell'Osservatorio Astronomico (Follow Corso Battellieri southwards, go past the small roundabout and take Viale dell'Osservatorio Astronomico for 80 metres; a sign on the right indicates the entrance gate). A cycle/pedestrian path that starts just south of the Carloforte seafront allows you to admire the landscape and the fauna that populates the ancient salt flats. The salt extraction activity ceased in 1998, favouring the repopulation and nesting of a rich avifauna in which you can see black-winged stilts, pink flamingos, and avocets. A walk in the cooler daytime hours with binoculars and a camera is recommended. Free.  

• Cus Cus Tabarchino Festival (Sagra del Cus Cus Tabarchino). Second part of April. Gastronomic event. 
• Girotonno. Between the end of May and the beginning of June. Cultural and gastronomic event. 
• Feast of St. Peter (A Festa de San Pè). June 29. The feast of the patron saint, deeply felt by the people of Carloforte, is celebrated on June 29. The festivities consist of a suggestive procession through the streets of the town and at sea, with fishermen carrying the statue of the saint. The feast ends with fireworks and the greeting of the sirens from the ferries. 
• Carloforte Music Festival. Between the end of August and the beginning of September. Performance of national and international artists. 
• Crêuza de mä (at the Mutua theatre). In September. Demonstration dealing with the music featured in films. 
• Madonna dello schiavo. Last Sunday of November. Patron saint of Carloforte. 

• 39.1437178.3059811 Damixaña Wine Shop (Vinoteca Damixaña), Via Don Nicolò Segni, 13, ☏ +39 3471375548. Wine shop with a selection of typical wines from Sulcis and elsewhere. You can buy products from the two island labels: U Tabarka and Du Bertin. There is also an interesting list of local cured meats and cheeses. 
• 39.1450118.3065312 Antico Pastificio Luxoro, Via XX Settembre, 30, ☏ +39 3423566844. A must-see to stock up on typical sweets and fresh pasta, such as Carlofortini cassulli. 
• 39.1446848.3062183 Stagnin Bakery (Panificio Stagnin), Via Don Nicolò Segni, 72, ☏ +39 0781854562. Baked goods and especially bread in various variations, including the famous biscuits and the iconic chickpea flour farinata. 

Carloforte has a rich culinary offer centered on tuna fishing, practiced here in Sulcis for millennia, and on the dishes of the classic Ligurian school (famous the capunadda and the cassulli a pesto) to which are added Tunisian contributions, such as the cascà and the facussa.

Almost all the restaurants and trattorias follow the paths of tradition and the level of the cuisine is generally high, as recognized by the industry guides. There is no shortage of pizzerias, also by the slice, and ice cream shops, in case you want to opt for a quick meal.

• Tourist medical service, Via Don Pagani 59, ☏ +39 0781 855666. 
• Local Police, Via XX Settembre 183B, ☏ +39 0781 8589230. M W F 10:00-12:30, Tu Th 10:00-12:30 and 16:00-17:30. 
• Carabinieri, Via Salvo d'Acquisto 54, ☏ +39 0781 855821.