Sant’Antioco , Cala Raia , isolotti La Vacca , Il Vitello , ed in lontananza Il Toro .
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The island of Sant’Antioco (in Sardinian isula ‘e Sàntu Antiògu, in Tabarchino uiza de Sant’Antióccu) is located in the extreme south-west of Sardinia and linked to it by a bridge and an artificial isthmus. In Roman times it was known as Insula Plumbaria. Sant’Antioco is the fourth largest island in the territory of the Italian Republic (108.9 km²), immediately after Elba (Sant’Antioco has almost half the surface area of Elba), and before Pantelleria (83 km²); in sixth place we find the “sister” island of Sant’Antioco, the island of San Pietro. The island is largely of volcanic origin; this is ancient volcanism and has now been inactive for at least 15-20 million years. The coast of the island is mainly rocky. In the western part (towards the open sea), the coast is characterized by vertical or very steep cliff-like walls, with interspersed caves and some inlets, with few but large beaches. The eastern coast, which overlooks Sardinia, has a low and sandy coast which, at the point of the isthmus that connects it to Sardinia itself, gradually takes on a lagoon-like appearance. The southern gulf, south of the isthmus, contains very large sandy beaches, bordered by tombolos and dunes. The interior of the island is hilly with limited altitudes, without any significant waterways. Offshore, towards the south, there are some rocky islets that are uninhabited and difficult to access, the largest of which is the island of Toro. Vegetation of the island of Sant’Antioco The main plant formation is the typical low Mediterranean scrub made up of rockrose (Cistus), mastic (Pistacia lentiscus), strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) and juniper (Juniperus). Among the forms of plant life on the island there are also the dwarf palm (Chamaerops humilis), the only spontaneous European species, and the Cretan date (Phoenix theophrasti). The island is dotted with areas sheltered by small family-run vegetable gardens and vineyards, especially in the most protected (eastern) part; the most widely cultivated fruit trees are the vine (Vitis vinifera) with different varieties, the fig and the prickly pear.
