Capraia

Coordinates: 43°02′14″N 9°49′06″E / 43.03715°N 9.81834°E / 43.03715; 9.81834
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Capraia
Native name:
Isola di Capraia
Capraia is located in Italy
Capraia
Capraia
Location within Italy
Capraia is located in Tuscany
Capraia
Capraia
Location within Tuscany
Geography
LocationTyrrhenian Sea
Coordinates43°02′14″N 9°49′06″E / 43.03715°N 9.81834°E / 43.03715; 9.81834
ArchipelagoTuscan Archipelago
Area19.33 km2 (7.46 sq mi)
Highest elevation466 m (1529 ft)
Administration
Italy
RegionTuscany
ProvinceLivorno
ComuneCapraia Isola
Demographics
Population407 (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

volcanic origin, has an area of 19 square kilometres (7.3 sq mi) and its highest point is 466 metres (1,529 ft) above sea level. It is about 8 kilometres (5 mi) long (from Punta della Teglia to Punta dello Zenobio) and about 4 kilometres (2 mi) wide. It has a coastline that is about 30 kilometres (19 mi) in circumference. The island is part of the Arcipelago Toscano National Park
and marine sanctuary.

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

Gorgona, which is also famous for its anchovies.[1]
In the summer the island is also a popular stopping point for yachts sailing between Livorno, Elba, and Corsica.

History

Fortress of St. George
Santo Stefano

The

Latin
: caprī, or Greek: capros κάπρος, wild boar), while it actually was meant to indicate a rocky island, "a place for goats".

In the 4th century AD it housed a

cenobium, where the church of St. Stephen now stands. The early 5th century poet Rutilius
recorded that the island was "a mess" and that there were many monastic communities by his time.

In 1055 it was raided by

Genoese towers
) to protect against pirates. The three are:

In 1767 troops under

Horatio Nelson, occupied the island for a short time, following the creation of the short-lived Anglo-Corsican Kingdom. After the Congress of Vienna in 1815 annexed the Republic of Genoa to the Kingdom of Sardinia, Capraia became part of the province of Genoa
. Then in 1925, it was assigned to Livorno.

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

  1. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Capraia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 290.

External links