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san pietro |
| Every day nine to thirteen ferries from Calasetta do the five-kilometre
hop to SAN PIETRO (40min; L4000/¬2.07): if you're in a car, you'll need
to join the queue in good time, as summer sees a lot of congestion - and
make sure you get a return ticket. San Pietro's dialect is pure Piemontese, two and a half centuries after the Savoyan king Carlo Emanuele III invited a colony of Ligurians to settle here after their eviction from the island of Tabarca, near Tunisia. The settlers were later abducted and taken back to Tunisia in one of the last great pirate raids, but were returned once the pirates' ransom demands had been met. The island's only town, CARLOFORTE (named after the king), is attractive and lively in summer, and is close to various panoramic beauty spots and mainly rocky beaches. The few hotels are concentrated in Carloforte, where the most stylish choice is undoubtedly the Hieracon at Corso Cavour 63 (tel 0781.854.028; L120,000-150,000/¬61.98-77.47) - right from the port, as you leave the ferry - though you might try the plainer California , Via Cavallera 15 (tel 0781.854.470; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98), a ten-minute walk left along the port. Availability is extremely limited in summer, but if you are stuck without a booking, ask around for rooms for rent , or contact the tourist office opposite the port at Piazza Carlo Alberto III (Mon-Fri 9am-noon; tel 0781.854.009). There is a campsite at LA CALETTA (tel 0781.852.112; June-Sept), 8km from Carloforte and accessible by bus from Piazza Carlo Emanuele, marked "La Caletta". |