Palmaria is an Italian island situated in the

Ligurian Sea The Ligurian Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. It lies between the Italian Riviera ( Liguria) and the island of Corsica. The sea is thought to have been named after the ancient Ligures people. Geography The sea borders Italy as far as ...

, at the westernmost end of the Gulf of La Spezia. With an area of , it is the largest island of an

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

of three closely spaced islands jutting from the mainland at Portovenere. The outer islands, Tino and the tiny Tinetto, lie further south. In 1997, the archipelago was designated by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

as a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

that also includes Portovenere and the

Cinque Terre The Cinque Terre (; ; meaning 'Five Lands') is a coastal area within Liguria, in the northwest of Italy. It lies in the west of La Spezia Province, and comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggio ...

Description

The island of Palmaria's area of makes it the largest of the three islands in the Gulf of La Spezia. The other two islands, Tino and Tinetto, are just a few hundred meters to the south. Palmaria is also the largest island in the whole

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

region. The island has a triangular shape: the sides that face Portovenere and the Gulf of La Spezia are the most populated and slope gently down to the level of the sea, covered by typical Mediterranean vegetation. The side that faces west, towards the open sea, features high cliffs overhanging the water, in which there are many caves. The populated sides feature some private homes, a restaurant in Pozzale, and many bathing establishments, some public and some reserved for employees of the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

and

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

. The western side is the most difficult to reach. Significant landmarks are the ''Blue Cave'', accessible only by boat, and the ''Cave of Pigeons'' reached only by climbing down ropes. The Cave of Pigeons has been very important in the study of historical events in the Gulf. The fossilized bones of

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

animals such as

chamois The chamois (; ) (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope native to the mountains in Southern Europe, from the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Apennines, the Dinarides, the Tatra Mountains, Tatra to the Carpa ...

and the

snowy owl The snowy owl (''Bubo scandiacus''), also known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic regions of both North America and the Palearctic, breeding mo ...

have been found there, along with the remains of human burials which testify to human presence at least five thousand years ago. On the island there are also many military buildings of great historical interest. The island's summit remains out of bounds as a former military area although it is in a state of neglect. Structures include the Fort ''Count of Cavour'' (or Fort Palmaria), the battery now used as experimental environmental education center, ''Batteria Semaforo'' near the ''Scola Tip'', and the remains of the ''Albini'' battery. The ironclad tower ''Umberto I'' was used in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as a military prison and was renovated a few years ago. Scattered throughout the island there are several abandoned bunkers from the Second World War and the remains of coastal artillery and antiaircraft batteries, mostly inaccessible due to overgrowth by vegetation.

Portoro marble

In ''Pozzale'', the southern region, is an abandoned quarry once used for the extraction of the precious black marble with gold streaks called . There are still remnants of the cranes and hoists that moved the blocks of marble, and the walls of the houses of the miners.National Park
/ref>

Natural habitat

Flora

The flora of Palmaria is composed of about 500 species. The original vegetation, which must have consisted mainly of Mediterranean scrub and oak wood forest, was modified by anthropic causes such as fire, agriculture, and the introduction of alien plants and animals such as

plane trees ''Platanus'' ( ) is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae. All mature members of ''Platanus'' are tall, reaching in height. The type ...

, palms and

rabbits Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated form ...

. Today the pines ('' Pinus pinaster'' and ''

Pinus halepensis ''Pinus halepensis'', commonly known as the Aleppo pine, also known as the Jerusalem pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. It was officially named by the botanist Philip Miller in his 1768 book ''The Gardener's Dictionary''; he pro ...

'') share space with typical Mediterranean species such as holly oak (''

Quercus ilex ''Quercus ilex'', the holly oak, also (ambiguously, as many oaks are evergreen) evergreen oak, is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the section (botany), section ''List of Quercus species#Section Ilex, Il ...

''), downy oak (''

Quercus pubescens ''Quercus pubescens'' (Synonym (taxonomy), synonyms ''virgiliana''), commonly known as the downy oak, pubescent oak or Italian oak, is a species of white oak (genus ''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus'') native to southern Europe and southwest Asia. It ...

''), mastic ('' Pistacia lentiscus''), strawberry tree (''

Arbutus unedo ''Arbutus unedo'', commonly known as strawberry tree, also called madrone, is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin and Western Europe. The tree is well known for its fruits, the arbutus berr ...

''), rockrose (''

Cistus monspeliensis ''Cistus monspeliensis'' is a species of Cistaceae, rockrose known by the common name Montpellier cistus or narrow-leaved cistus. It is native to southern Europe and northern Africa, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecosystems o ...

'', ''Cistus salvifolius'', ''Cistus incanus''), Spanish broom (''

Spartium junceum ''Spartium junceum'', known as Spanish broom, rush broom, or weaver's broom, it is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and the sole species in the genus ''Spartium''. It is closely related to the other brooms (in the genera '' Cy ...

''). Other important plant groups include spurge ('' Euphorbia dendroides'') and close to the sea cliffs, samphire ('' Crithmum maritimum''). Among the new flora, ''Centaurea cineraria veneris'', ''Iberis umbellata'' var. ''linifolia'', are exclusive in Palmaria, and ''Centaurea aplolepa lunensis'' is endemic to eastern Liguria. Other notable plants include ''Brassica oleracea robertiana'', ''Serapias neglecta'' and ''Cistus incanus'', which are otherwise rare in Liguria, their northern limit.

Fauna

There are many species of reptile on the island, such as the smallest of the European geckos, the European leaf-toed gecko ('' Phyllodactylus europaeus)''. While also present on the neighboring islands of Tino and Tinetto, this species is rare in Liguria. Bird species include kestrel ('' Falco tinnunculus''), peregrine falcons ('' Falco peregrinus''), sparrowhawks ('' Accipiter nisus''), red partridges ('' Alectoris rufa''), gulls ('' Larus argentatus'', '' Larus michahellis''), ravens ('' Corvus corax''), rock thrushes ('' Monticola solitarius''), and cormorants ('' Gulosus aristotelis''). Several species of bats are found in caves on Palmaria: the trunnion ('' Plecotus auritus''), the greater horseshoe bat ('' Rhinolophus ferrumequinum''), and the lesser horseshoe bat ('' Rhinolophus hipposideros''). Colonies of rabbits and goats on the island are remains of a recent past when the island was more inhabited. The beetle '' Parmenas solieri'' is an endemic species linked to spurge patches found on the island.

Climate and maritime links

The climate is typically Mediterranean, temperate on both daily and seasonal timescales. In winter there are very few episodes of extreme cold or frost, while in summer the heat is moderated by the effect of the sea breeze. The abundant rainfall follows the trends of the Riviera di Levante, especially heavy in autumn and spring. The island can be reached by private boat, or in the summer months by the ferries that connect with Portovenere, Lerici, and

La Spezia La Spezia (, or ; ; , in the local ) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second-largest city in the Liguria ...

Gallery

File:Titti and Piscinin.JPG, The Blue Cave File:Drop_the_Gulf.JPG, The rocky coast File:Marble caves on Palmaria island (Liguria, Italy).jpg, The

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

caves File:Vegetassss.JPG, The vegetation File:Isola Palmaria.jpg, Palmaria Island, 2006

References

{{authority control Islands of Liguria Italian Riviera Ligurian Sea Province of La Spezia Natura 2000 in Italy World Heritage Sites in Italy