SANT'ANTIOCO ISLAND

Italian Isola Di Sant'antioco, volcanic island in the Mediterranean Sea, situated just off the southwestern coast of Sardinia, Italy. It has an area of 42 square miles (108 square km), composed for the most part of rocky and uneven terrain, and rises to 889 feet (271 m). The island, which is administratively part of Cagliari province, is connected by rail with the Sardinian mainland, 1 mile (2 km) east. The chief town and port, on the northeast coast, is Sant'Antioco, site of the Phoenician and Roman city of Sulcis (Sulci), destroyed by the Saracens in the European Middle Ages. There are remains of a Punic and Roman necropolis, a Phoenician sanctuary, and early Christian catacombs (under the parish church) believed to contain the remains of St. Antioch. A museum is located near the necropolis. There are vineyards and saltworks on the island and important fisheries. The small town of Calasetta, on the north coast, has bathing beaches and ferry service to Carloforte, on neighbouring San Pietro Island. Pop. (1990 est.) mun., 12,575.