Must Visit Place in Italy - San Pietro Island, Sardinia - Video Tour Beyond Striking Volcanic Landscapes and Beaches

 

 

Beyond its striking volcanic landscapes and beaches, San Pietro Island preserves the memory of workers’ houses along its shores, the legacy of an abandoned renewable energy center at Nasca, and the ongoing protection of rare bird and marine habitats through biodiversity conservation plans.

🏝️ The Island

San Pietro lies off the southwestern coast of Sardinia, within the Sulcis archipelago, and extends across about 51 square kilometers. The island is entirely volcanic in origin, shaped by ancient eruptions that left behind comendite, a rare lava rock that erodes into dramatic cliffs, coves, and headlands. There is no bridge and no airport; the island remains connected only by ferries from Portovesme and Calasetta, taking thirty to forty minutes. Its isolation has preserved both its natural environment and its cultural identity.

🌆 Carloforte

Carloforte, the island’s only town, was founded in 1738 by Ligurian families resettled from Tabarka, a Tunisian islet once under Genoese control. The king of Savoy gave them San Pietro Island, and they built a community that still speaks Tabarchino, a Ligurian dialect. The town has about six thousand inhabitants, with narrow streets, pastel-colored houses, and a waterfront marked by fishing boats and ferries. Carloforte’s heritage is tied to tuna fishing and salt, with historic tuna traps (tonnare) and warehouses still visible along the coast. Some of the simple workers’ houses used by fishermen and salt laborers can still be seen, silent reminders of a time when life here revolved around seasonal catches and hard manual labor. Festivals like the Girotonno celebrate this past and present, bringing together food, music, and maritime identity.

🏖️ The Beaches and Coast

San Pietro’s coastline is varied and dramatic, offering beaches and coves that highlight the island’s volcanic past. On the southeastern shore, Le Colonne stand as the island’s most famous landmark: two sea stacks sculpted by erosion, symbols of Carloforte itself. On the western side lies Capo Sandalo, where the 19th-century lighthouse rises above cliffs that host Eleonora’s falcons and other protected seabirds. North of the cape is Cala Fico, a cove enclosed by volcanic and limestone cliffs, with a pebble shore and rocky seabed that sustain rich marine life. On the northern coast, near the Nasca area, lies the Piscina Naturale di Nasca, a natural rock basin filled by the sea and renewed constantly by wave action, creating a sheltered place for bathing. Each of these sites reflects the island’s mix of geology, biodiversity, and isolation, offering visitors both scenic beauty and scientific interest.

 

           

         

🏠 Workers’ Houses

Along the shores of San Pietro still stand the workers’ houses, simple dwellings that once hosted tuna fishermen, salt workers, and their families. Built close to the tonnara and salt pans, these houses were designed for practical living during long, labor-intensive seasons. Some remain abandoned, weathered by time and sea air, while others have been restored as cultural reminders. They symbolize the dignity of labor and reflect a period when life on the island revolved around fishing and salt production. Today they serve as historical markers of the island’s working-class heritage and the struggles for workers’ rights.

⚡ Abandoned Renewable Energy Center at Nasca

In the early 1990s, San Pietro Island became a testing ground for renewable energy through the Nasca renewable energy center. Developed by Ansaldo Industria S.p.A., the project combined solar panels and wind turbines to produce electricity, pioneering hybrid energy in Sardinia. In 2011, the photovoltaic section was repowered to nearly one megawatt. Although the wind turbines were later shut down and the site abandoned, the project remains a landmark in Italy’s early transition toward sustainable energy. Today, the abandoned center still stands near the Nasca dam, a reminder of Carloforte’s ambition to innovate in clean energy long before renewable systems became mainstream.

 

🌿 Biodiversity and Conservation

San Pietro is also recognized for its biodiversity conservation value. Much of the coastline falls under LIPU (Italian League for Bird Protection) and the Natura 2000 network, protecting critical habitats for seabirds. The cliffs of Capo Sandalo and Cala Fico host colonies of Eleonora’s falcon, a species that migrates from Madagascar to breed on Mediterranean coasts. Other species include kestrels, peregrine falcons, Audouin’s gulls, and European shags. The surrounding marine areas are equally rich, with rocky seabeds supporting fish, crustaceans, and invertebrates. These conservation plans highlight the ecological importance of San Pietro, ensuring that its wildlife is safeguarded alongside its cultural heritage.