Meet at the PIAM Tuna Fisheries, loc. La Punta, Carloforte – Southern Sardinia.
Our tour features a role-playing game for young and old, where everyone will feel part of the story as they discover everything they don't know about the sprinter of the sea: the bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), also known as the “tonno di corsa” (racing tuna), and the way it was fished from the 1500s to the present day. This is the itinerary for you.
In an engaging narrative, you will hear stories of the loves and sacrifices of the men and women who went to work at the tuna fishery every year during the fishing season between the 19th and 20th centuries.
The tour takes place in the northernmost part of the island, with a visit to the area where, between April and July, the ancient system of nets called an “isola” is placed in the sea. This is a highly precise, eco-friendly fishing system promoted by WWF International.
In the second part of our tour, we will enter the private property of the Greco family, the sole custodians of this very important activity that was once part of Ligurian tradition and is now part of Carloforte's tradition.
In addition to being engaged in the sustainable fishing of bluefin tuna, the tuna fishery continues, as it did in the past, to produce the highly prized local canned products: fillet, belly and loin, the parts of the bluefin most appreciated by the majority of “furesti” visitors, a dialect term for “tourists” on the island. We will also be sure to visit the village of the tonnarotti, where men and women used to spend their free time; everything seems to have stopped in the last century.
Despite their specific interests, the three Greco brothers are still committed to ensuring that restaurant menus never lack this highly prized tuna, which has organoleptic qualities superior to those of other varieties.
Do you know the difference between bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna? No problem – we'll also talk about this during the tour, as well as giving you some easy recipes that will make your table look fit for royalty.
So, anémmu – your guide Natalia is waiting for you!