Cavallo (island)
Encyclopedia
Cavallo is a small island
in the Mediterranean Sea
located between Corsica
and Sardinia
.
, 2.3km from the Corsican coast , close to the Strait of Bonifacio
. It is about 13km from Sardinia. The island is French
territory, though it belonged to Italy
in the past. Cavallo Island is about 120 hectares in area and its highest point is 32 metres above sea level. It has a small port.
sent prison
ers there to cut granite
for monument
s. The island was abandoned during Augustus
’ empire, and remained uninhabited until a sheep and goat-herder located there in 1800. The deep sea surrounding the island hid dangerous obstacles for navigators, earning the island the nickname
“The Cursed Siren.” In 1855, the French frigate Semillante
, which was transporting soldiers to Crimea
, sank nearby, killing all 693 on board. In 1978, Cavallo made international news when it was the scene of a shooting committed by Vittorio Emanuele
, the exile
d king of Italy
.
, there is also a commercial area with restaurants and shops, along with the luxury Hotel & Spa des Pêcheurs. Only bicycle
s and electric car
s are allowed on the island.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
located between Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
and Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
.
Geography
Cavallo is the only inhabited island of the Lavezzi ArchipelagoLavezzi Islands
The Lavezzi Islands form a small archipelago of granite islands and reefs in the Strait of Bonifacio that separates Corsica from Sardinia in the Mediterranean Sea. They are administered from Bonifacio on Corsica, itself a territory of France.-Geography:...
, 2.3km from the Corsican coast , close to the Strait of Bonifacio
Strait of Bonifacio
The Strait of Bonifacio is the strait between Corsica and Sardinia, named after the Corsican town Bonifacio. It is wide and divides the Tyrrhenian Sea from the western Mediterranean Sea...
. It is about 13km from Sardinia. The island is French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
territory, though it belonged to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in the past. Cavallo Island is about 120 hectares in area and its highest point is 32 metres above sea level. It has a small port.
History
Cavallo has a long history, beginning when Ancient RomeAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
sent prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
ers there to cut granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
for monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
s. The island was abandoned during Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
’ empire, and remained uninhabited until a sheep and goat-herder located there in 1800. The deep sea surrounding the island hid dangerous obstacles for navigators, earning the island the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
“The Cursed Siren.” In 1855, the French frigate Semillante
French frigate Sémillante (1841)
The Sémillante was a 60-gun frigate of the French Navy.She took part in the Crimean war from 1854 as a transport. In February 1855, under Captain Jugan, she departed Toulon with a crew of 301 and 392 soldiers as reinforcements for the French army...
, which was transporting soldiers to Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, sank nearby, killing all 693 on board. In 1978, Cavallo made international news when it was the scene of a shooting committed by Vittorio Emanuele
Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples
Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, formerly Crown Prince of Italy is the only son of the Umberto II, the last King of Italy. He is commonly known in Italy as Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia...
, the exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
d king of Italy
King of Italy
King of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers of the Italian peninsula after the fall of the Roman Empire...
.
Tourism
Cavallo is privately owned, but does allow limited access to outsiders. Known for golfing and sailingSailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, there is also a commercial area with restaurants and shops, along with the luxury Hotel & Spa des Pêcheurs. Only bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s and electric car
Electric car
An electric car is an automobile which is propelled by electric motor, using electrical energy stored in batteries or another energy storage device. Electric cars were popular in the late-19th century and early 20th century, until advances in internal combustion engine technology and mass...
s are allowed on the island.