Capraia
Native name: Isola di Capraia | |
---|---|
Location within Tuscany | |
Geography | |
Location | Tyrrhenian Sea |
Coordinates | 43°02′14″N 9°49′06″E / 43.03715°N 9.81834°E |
Archipelago | Tuscan Archipelago |
Area | 19.33 km2 (7.46 sq mi) |
Highest elevation | 466 m (1529 ft) |
Administration | |
Italy | |
Region | Tuscany |
Province | Livorno |
Comune | Capraia Isola |
Demographics | |
Population | 407 (December 2018) |
Capraia is an Italian island, the northwesternmost of the seven islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, and the third largest after Elba and Giglio.
It is also a comune (Capraia Isola) belonging to the Province of Livorno. The island has a population of about 400.
Geography
Capraia is 62 kilometres (39 mi) from the city of Livorno by sea, and 32 kilometres (20 mi) northwest of the island of Elba; it is slightly closer, at 30 kilometres (19 mi), to the island of Corsica. The island is accessible by ferries that depart from the port of Livorno.
Capraia is of
The island's small harbour, Porto di Capraia, is connected to the village by the one and only asphalted road on the island. The village, dominated by the Fortress of St George, preserves its original characteristics unaltered. Sites of tourist interest include the Church of the Assunta, the Church of St Nicola and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Church and Convent of St Antonio, and the Church of St Stefano alla Piana. The Fortress is not open to visitors.
The island produces wine, and is a centre of the
History
The
In the 4th century AD it housed a
In 1055 it was raided by
- Torre del Porto (1541), which protected the entrance to the harbour, and which replaced or added to an earlier tower dating to 1510;
- Torre dello Zenobito (1545); and
- Torre delle Barbici (1699), also known as Torre della Teja or Torre della Regina. It is the only tower with a square shape, which makes it somewhat similar to the De Redin towers on Malta. Torre delle Barbici is in a fairly dilapidated state. Since 2009 a path connects it to the port.
In 1767 troops under
Between 1873 and 1986 a penal colony occupied almost two-thirds of Capraia. In 1986 the government closed the penal colony and opened the island to visitors.
See also
References
- ^ public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Capraia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 290. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the