Belly pain is an island of the Sardinia western.
To know
It is part of theMarine Protected Area Sinis Peninsula - Mal di Ventre Island.
- Flora
The vegetation is represented by the low Mediterranean scrub consisting of essences such as mastic (Pistacia lentiscus), cistus, rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and dwarf palm (Chamaerops humilis) as well as low grasses. The bushes are sculpted and shaped by the constant action of the mistral wind.
- Fauna
The waters surrounding the island are populated by sea turtles of the Caretta caretta species and by cetaceans. According to the explorer Alberto La Marmora, monk seals (Monachus monachus) were once also present. Among the only mammals present on the island are: wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and small white mice (Mus musculus) or house mouse. The avifauna is instead represented by different species of sea birds including the cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo), the greater shearwater (Calonectris diomedea), the shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), the herring gull (Larus michahellis), the Corsican gull ( Ichthyaetus audouinii) and the Eleonora's falcon (Falco eleonorae). Common reptiles on the island are tortoises. It also seems to be present, the Mediterranean black widow or malmignatta (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus), one of the few spiders present in Italy fearsome for the bite.
The human history of this ancient island dates back to the Neolithic period (6000/2700 BC) when hunting was practiced on the island, perhaps connected to the Capo Mannu peninsula. In fact, numerous fragments and pieces of obsidian arrowhead have been found as well as fragments of millstones from the Nuragic era. Among other things, on this island, right next to the Cala dei Pastori, there is the presence of a bilobed nuraghe, partly collapsed into the sea.
Human attendance was consolidated first in the Phoenician-Punic era and later in the Roman era, as appears from the numerous housing evidence found on the island. In particular, we note the presence of a very extensive Roman villa (perhaps the seat of a nobleman exiled from Rome in the 1st or 2nd century AD) in which there were also limestone columns that have been stolen in recent years. This testimony is endorsed not only by General Alberto della Marmora but also by Canon Giovanni Spano who spoke about the island on several occasions. In fact, even today, just behind the hut called the fishermen, it is possible to see among the shrubs of Lentischio and Fillirea hundreds of boulders mixed with pieces of roof tiles and cocciame belonging to artifacts of various periods and functions.
Geographical notes
The island of Mal di Ventre belongs to the municipality of Cabras and has an area of 0.80 km² and has a flat aspect, with the maximum altitude of just 18 m a.s.l. There is a pool of spring water that allows the survival of some species of small mammals, reptiles and birds. Its geological origin is very ancient and dates back to the late Carboniferous; the rock formations of the island are in fact made up of equigranular monzogranites, relic of the late Hercynian plutonic inclusions found in some sites of the Sardinia and of Corsica. The outcrop of the island is part of a granite complex, largely submerged, which extends from south to north in front of the coasts of the Sinis Peninsula and represents the only Paleozoic formation in the area. The geological formations of the Sinis, in fact, have a more recent origin, as they consist of the outcrop of limestone deposits and andesitic lavas of the Miocene and of basaltic lavas and calcareous sandstone deposits of the Pliocene.
The east coast that caters to Sardinia it is mostly sandy, with some small coves that facilitate the landing. The west coast, on the other hand, is relatively high and rocky and does not offer safe landing places as it is exposed to the mistral wind, which blows particularly intensely in this part of the island. The seabed around the island is rocky.
Background
The island was frequented since the Neolithic period. This is attested by the numerous obsidian arrowheads and scrapers found on the island. In this historical period the island must have been much larger and much closer to Mari Ermi, which is about 5 miles away. Furthermore, Malu Entu is the only minor island in Sardinia where there is a bilobed nuraghe with a small keep, already taken over by Atzori in the 60s and by Copparoni in the 90s who also reported the presence of some wells, one with perennial spring water located in the central southern part of the island. Another peculiarity of this mysterious island is the presence of a large Roman house built between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. of which the Canon Giovanni Spano and the General Alberto Ferrero della Marmora also wrote who both reported this imposing construction also equipped with basins and a fountain with water. In recent years the structure has been sacked several times and architectural elements such as pieces of columns and sandstone architraves have also been removed. Following the numerous complaints presented above all by the Friends of Sardinia Association, the journalist Oliviero Beha, presenter of Radio a Colori, sent a Radio Rai troupe to the island who interviewed the then archaeological superintendent of Cagliari and Oristano Dr. Vincenzo Santoni live. The Radio Rai troupe was accompanied to the island by Prof. Roberto Copparoni as Honorary Inspector of the Archaeological Superintendence which for years had signaled the abandonment of the island of Malu Entu. From some reports received and collected by the recently deceased scholar Marco Porcu, it appears likely that there was also a small monastic settlement on the island, as well as some traces of walls with apse development found in the south-eastern part of the island, today covered by the luxuriant vegetation of Lentischio.
Another aspect of great interest are the numerous wrecks of boats from various eras that are found on the seabed around the island and of which the study and recovery of the artefacts and goods transported have only partially been taken care of.
The island of Mal di Ventre came to the attention of the news especially during the trial for the alleged "separatist conspiracy" which took place at the beginning of the eighties of the twentieth century, which would have involved various activists of Sardinian independence movements and which, according to some reconstructions, it was a machination of the Italian secret services to discredit the Sardist wind then arisen; the island would have been chosen, according to the accusation, as the place from which the insurgents would have communicated the birth of the Socialist Republic of Sardinia to the world through powerful amateur radio equipment.
The Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported, in August 2008, the news of the initiative of a Sardinian independence activist who aims at the international recognition of the island of Mal di Ventre, as the "Independent Republic of Malu Entu", referring to the principles of self-determination of the peoples enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. Salvatore Meloni, protagonist of other historic battles for the independence of Sardinia, has sent the project both to the United Nations and its members and to the Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Salvatore Meloni, who for more than twenty years has spent most of his days on the islet together with other independence activists, in February 2009 initiated a civil suit for the usucapione of the island of Mal di Ventre which, since 1972, has belonged to the Neapolitan company "Turistica Cabras srl"; moreover, Meloni asked the Municipality of Cabras for a registered residence on the island to strengthen his initiative. Meloni also had banknotes printed with his face, the "Soddus Sardos".
In January 2009, after 5 months from the date of the self-proclamation of the Republic, a blitz by the Forestry and Environmental Surveillance Corps and the Harbor Master's Office cleared the separatists. The latter have been accused, among other things, of damaging the environment and illegally disposing of the waste produced during their stay on the island. Later, Salvatore Meloni, although removed, returned to the island, before his incarceration following a conviction for tax fraud.
Territories and tourist destinations
Mal di Ventre: full screen map.Cale
- Cala Maestra
- Cala Nuraghe
- Cala Pastori
- Cala Saline
- Cala Valdaro
How to get
By plane
From the airports of Cagliari, Alghero is Olbia.
From the seafront of Putzu Idu the boats leave for excursions on the island, a service carried out from June 1st to September 30th by the cooperative Sea Mania One[link not working].
How to get around
What see
- 1 Le Saline beach.
- 2 Lighthouse (It is located in the center of the island).
- Ancient lighthouse (It is located on the coasts of the island).
- Vaporetto wreck.
- Dutch wreck.
What to do
At the table
Safety
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Belly pain
Commons contains images or other files on Stomach ache
