Island Palmeria
Palmaria Island to the rise of Olives Portovenere
Geography
Country	Italy
Location	Ligurian Sea ( Mediterranean Sea )
Contact	44 02 '35 "N 9 50' 42" E / 44043, 9845 44 02 '35 "N 9 50' 42" E / 44043, 9845
Administration
Italy
Region	Liguria
Province	La Spezia
Common	Portovenere
Other information
Discovery	Prehistory
Time Zone	UTC +1
Geolocation on the map: Italy Island Palmeria
Islands of Italy

The island of Palmaria is an island in the Ligurian Sea , located at the western end of the Gulf of La Spezia. It faces the town of Portovenere , which it is separated by a stretch of sea known as the Mouths. This island is part of an archipelago of islands of Tino and Tinetto. Its territory belongs to the town of Portovenere. Since 1997 , the island of Palmaria and Tino islands of Tinetto, Portovenere and Cinque Terre , was admitted to the UNESCO World Heritage.

Summary 1 Description 2 Natural habitat 2.1 Flora 2.2 Fauna 3 Ferries 4 Sights 5 Sources

Description

The island of Palmaria, with an area of 6.5 square kilometers, is the largest of three islands in the Gulf of La Spezia and the other two islands, and Tino Tinetto occurring down to a few hundred meters in a straight line South of the island.

It is triangular: the visible sides of the island from Portovenere and the gulf of La Spezia are the most degraded. They slope gently down to the sea, covered with typical Mediterranean vegetation. The side located towards the west, that is to say towards the open sea, is instead characterized by high cliffs on the water, on which there are plenty of caves. The sides contain the most degraded some private homes, a small restaurant (Pozzale) and especially beach resorts, some public, others reserved for members of the Marina Militare or the Aeronautica Militare.

When you look at the western side of the island, one can realize that it is more difficult to access. One can note the presence of Grotta Azzurra, visited by boat, and the Cave dei Colombi, which can only reach down to the ropes. In the latter cave is located some remains of the civilization of prehistoric man. The latter in particular has been very important in the study of historical events in the Gulf, for containing animal fossils dating from the Pleistocene , chamois and owls preserved by ice, but especially the remains of human burials that attest the presence of man on the island for over five thousand years.

Also found on the island of many historic buildings: the top, in military territory inaccessible to visitors, we discover the strong Umberto ^I of Italy and the strong Cavour , near Point School, a prison early ^nineteenth century , restored some years ago and converted into a museum inside the island are also a few more bunkers used during World War II and remained in the position of coastal artillery in an area totally inaccessible submerged by vegetation. Near Fort Umberto ^I of Italy one can note the presence of a traffic light.

Finally, in the southern part of the island is a cavity that was abandoned long been used for the extraction of marble black gold streaks. There are still remnants of cranes, tools used to move blocks of marble and even the walls of ancient dwellings of the miners.

Natural Habitat

Flora

The flora of the island is composed of about 500 different species. The original vegetation, which was to consist of scrub and Mediterranean holm oak groves, has been altered by human causes such as fire, agriculture and the introduction of plants and animals ( plane tree , palm , rabbit ) ...

Today, pines ( Pinus pinaster and Pinus halepensis ) occupy the space with typical Mediterranean species such as oak ( Quercus ilex ), pubescent oak ( Quercus pubescens ), mastic ( Pistacia lentiscus ), the arbutus (Arbutus unedo), rock roses ( Cistus monspeliensis , Cistus salviifolius and Cistus incanus ), told a Spanish broom ( Spartium junceum ) ...

Other vegetation types occur on the island such as scrub , spurge ( Euphorbia dendroides ) and, on the rocks closest to the sea, sea fennel ( Crithmum maritimum ). We should also remember the emergence of floral knapweed ( Centaurea cineraria veneris , Centaurea aplolepa lunensis ), endemic to the Liguria Eastern and stool lilac ( Iberis umbellata var. linifolia ), exclusively present on the island of Palmaria. Finally, other plants such as Brassica oleracea robertiana the Serapias neglecta and Cistus incanus , rare in Liguria , occur in the northern part of the island.

Fauna

On the island are some of the most important species of reptiles such as Phyllodactylus europaeus , the smallest geckos Europe, easily recognizable by the absence of tubercles on its dorsal side. Further on Palmaria and islands of Tino and Tinetto this Gekkonidae is present locally in Liguria.

Among the birds inhabiting the island, we can cite the nest ( Falco tinnunculus ), peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus ), sparrowhawk ( Accipiter nisus ), the red partridge ( Alectoris rufa ), some species of gull ( Larus argentatus , Larus michahellis ) the raven ( Corvus corax ), the solitary sparrow ( Monticola solitarius ) or the shag ( Phalacrocorax Aristotelis ).

Among mammals, we can mention the pipistrelle bats found in caves: oreillon ( Plecotus auritus ), great horseshoe bat ( Rhinolophus ferrumequinum ) and the lesser horseshoe bat ( Rhinolophus hipposideros ). These are also colonies of rabbits and goats, residues of a recent passage of Man when the island was inhabited.

Also noteworthy is the presence of a beetle Parmena Solires , endemic Tyrrhenian its presence was linked to the scrub of Euphorbia.

Ferries

Today to reach the island you can borrow or private boats during the summer months, take a shuttle to link the island to Portovenere , Lerici and La Spezia.

Sights

• In the late 1960s , the population of the city of La Spezia was left to face a curious increase in the number of cats in town. After a few months these cats were responsible for numerous attacks on the person, then the population tends to seek measures for the administration. The idea was that of retaining capture the cats and take them on the island of Palmaria. This was done but the amazing outcome of this event was that after a few days the city was again invaded by cats, while the invasion is commonly called the appointment of "Palmaria cats." They finally disappeared gradually in the city.
• The western part of the island has hosted the film crew of the film The Guns of Navarone , serving as a framework for the final scene of the film.

Sources

• (It) This article is partially or entirely from the article in Italian entitled " Palmaria (see the list of authors )