The best walks and hikes around U Pàize/Carloforte

The Carloforte salt pans, just outside the town, are a natural area of great interest, now classified as a Site of Community Importance (SCI). Their origins date back to the Phoenician-Punic era, but actual industrial activity began in 1770 by decision of the Kingdom of Sardinia and continued until 1998. Today, among the lakes and ancient basins, it is possible to observe greater flamingos, black-winged stilts, and numerous other aquatic species.

The original stone tower was built in 1864. It is an active aid to navigation at sea and in aviation. The focal plane is 134 metres (433 ft) high, perched on a cliff, and emits four white flashes in a 20-second period, visible to a distance of 24 nautical miles (44 km). The tower itself is 30 metres (98 ft) high, with lantern and gallery, attached to the front of a two-story stone keeper's house. To this day, the lighthouse remains a beautiful structure of unpainted stone with a grey metallic lantern dome. The lighthouse is now automated, and a lighthouse keeper lived on the site until recently. Chart references: ARLHS SAR-018; Admiralty E1090; NGA 8432. French Charts 7332. The lighthouse is connected to the main town of Carloforte on the island of San Pietro by a well-paved road.

The Capo Sandalo Lighthouse (Italian: Faro di Capo Sandalo) is a prominent lighthouse on the westernmost point of the island of San Pietro, marking the southwestern corner of Sardinia, Italy.

The language of the Tabarchians essentially corresponds to the Ligurian language of the 15th century. Through personal and trade connections - both from Tunisia and from the island of San Pietro - it has developed just as much as the actual Ligurian and Genoese languages. Due to its geographical location, the port of Carloforte was of considerable importance in shipping and as a transshipment point for medium tonnage until the beginning of the 19th century. Carlofortine Ligurian preserves some nouns and rare grammatical forms that only occur in the outdated Genoese. It does not contain any Gallicisms that Genoese has adopted in recent centuries; for example, the accent (còccina) is typical of Pegli and not of pure Genoese. Only a few nouns from Sardinian, Arabic and Tuscan can be identified as external influences. More than 80 percent of the population still speak this dialect in everyday life today. The architecture, culture, customs and traditions of Carloforte still correspond to those of Liguria. Because of its historical, economic and cultural ties with the Ligurian capital, and in particular with Pegli, Carloforte was recognized as an honorary municipality of the province of Genoa on 10 November 2004. In 2006, the neighboring municipality of Calasetta received the same honor. Carloforte celebrates twin festivities with Pegli every year.

The population, also known as Tabarchini because of their origins, united the towns of Carloforte on the island of San Pietro and the neighbouring municipality of Calasetta on the nearby island of Sant'Antioco. A small number of the emigrants from Tabarca headed towards the Spanish coast in Alicante and founded the town of Nueva Tabarca. This colony has retained some of the original surnames, but has been absorbed by the Spanish-speaking community in terms of language and customs. The Tabarchini are scattered all over the world, mainly in Genoa, on the Ligurian coast, in Gibraltar, in Boca near Buenos Aires and in other port cities. They are estimated to number 18,000 people in total.

In 1542, the inhabitants of Pegli and the neighbouring communities left their home on the Ligurian coast in the wake of the Lomellini, a powerful trading family from Pegli and Genoa, and settled on the island of Tabarca off the coast of Tunisia, where they dived for coral until 1735. When coral mining and thus the tribute to the Lomellini continued to decline and was no longer profitable for all sides, and the conflicts with the Muslims intensified, King Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy, on the initiative of the Piedmontese architect Augusto de la Vallée, made the offer to settle the still uninhabited island of San Pietro. A part of the Tabarchini under the leadership of Agostino Tagliafico accepted the offer and settled on the island off Sardinia in 1738. In honour of the king, they named the new place Carloforte ("Charles the Strong"). Over time, other emigrant families arrived directly from Liguria and helped to strengthen the small, emerging community. In 1798, Carloforte was attacked by pirates and around 900 inhabitants were captured and held as slaves in Tunis; one of them became the mother of Bey Ahmad I al-Husain. After five years, they were finally able to be ransomed. The parts of the old city wall and the fortress that are still preserved today are evidence of this barbarian invasion.

In 1542, the inhabitants of Pegli and the neighbouring communities left their home on the Ligurian coast in the wake of the Lomellini, a powerful trading family from Pegli and Genoa, and settled on the island of Tabarca off the coast of Tunisia, where they dived for coral until 1735. When coral mining and thus the tribute to the Lomellini continued to decline and was no longer profitable for all sides, and the conflicts with the Muslims intensified, King Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy, on the initiative of the Piedmontese architect Augusto de la Vallée, made the offer to settle the still uninhabited island of San Pietro. A part of the Tabarchini under the leadership of Agostino Tagliafico accepted the offer and settled on the island off Sardinia in 1738. In honour of the king, they named the new place Carloforte ("Charles the Strong"). Over time, other emigrant families arrived directly from Liguria and helped to strengthen the small, emerging community. In 1798, Carloforte was attacked by pirates and around 900 inhabitants were captured and held as slaves in Tunis; one of them became the mother of Bey Ahmad I al-Husain. After five years, they were finally able to be ransomed. The parts of the old city wall and the fortress that are still preserved today are evidence of this barbarian invasion.

The language of the Tabarchians essentially corresponds to the Ligurian language of the 15th century. Through personal and trade connections - both from Tunisia and from the island of San Pietro - it has developed just as much as the actual Ligurian and Genoese languages. Due to its geographical location, the port of Carloforte was of considerable importance in shipping and as a transshipment point for medium tonnage until the beginning of the 19th century. Carlofortine Ligurian preserves some nouns and rare grammatical forms that only occur in the outdated Genoese. It does not contain any Gallicisms that Genoese has adopted in recent centuries; for example, the accent (còccina) is typical of Pegli and not of pure Genoese. Only a few nouns from Sardinian, Arabic and Tuscan can be identified as external influences. More than 80 percent of the population still speak this dialect in everyday life today. The architecture, culture, customs and traditions of Carloforte still correspond to those of Liguria. Because of its historical, economic and cultural ties with the Ligurian capital, and in particular with Pegli, Carloforte was recognized as an honorary municipality of the province of Genoa on 10 November 2004. In 2006, the neighboring municipality of Calasetta received the same honor. Carloforte celebrates twin festivities with Pegli every year.