This is a quaint old historic town.
When I was there, there was a couscous festival in progress on the waterfront and all types of vendors had stalls erected on the waterfront.
For about €5 you got a bowl of couscous, a beer and a gift, which turned out to be a porcelain spoon rest with Carloforte written on it. The couscous comes from the inhabitants' Genovese-African roots.
Originally from Genoa, they were sent in the 1500s to the island of Tabarka, off the coast of Tunisia to harvest coral. They succumbed to the pirates and became Tunisian slaves. The King Carlo Emanuele III of Savoy negotiated their release and gave them the Island of San Pietro, which at that time was uninhabited. In February 1738, 140 families from Tabarka landed on the island, and built the town of Carloforte. They speak an ancient Genovese dialect called "tabarkino".
I rented bicycle for the day and rode down to the beaches at the southern end of the island. A magical day.
The northern part is a bit more hilly and may require a motorized vehicle or a lot of peddling energy.
Howard [ Just Imagine ] 22-Apr-2006
Fuel Dock (Fuel)
The pilot books caution of shoaling in the entrance to the fuel dock harbour, but I had no problem with 2 meters
Howard [ Just Imagine ] 15-Jan-2008
Bike shop somewhere here (For Rent)
Carloforte Town Dock (Town Dock)
Some other cruisers told me they paid very little for two weeks on the town dock, but you needed to pay for 2 weeks in advance.
Howard [ Just Imagine ] 22-Apr-2006
Carloforte Marina Sifredi (Marina)
A nice, safe marina with a new large breakwater. convenient to town, restaurants and shops.
Tel. 0781854437
Mail marinesifredi@carloforte.it
Howard [ Just Imagine ] 15-Jan-2008