Island of Monte Cristo: history, description

Stories of pirates, treasures and mysterious islands have always attracted people. About the island, whose history is similar to the riddle, read this article.

Location

The island of Monte Cristo is part of the Tuscan archipelago. He, in turn, is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea. To be more precise - not far from the Italian coast. It is part of the province called Livorno, which is administratively related to the Tuscany region.

The island of Monte Cristo also carries other names that, from ancient Greek and Roman languages, are translated as "Mountaintop" and "Mount of Jupiter" respectively. In the language of the ancient Greeks, the name of this natural object sounds like Oglas, or Color. It was given to him because of the rocks of yellowish color. The Romans also called it My Jovis. They also built in honor of the god named Jupiter the altar on the highest point of the island.

However, the most common among the Italian inhabitants is the name "An Island That Is Not." The fact is that very few people from all over the globe have ever visited him.

Nature

On the territory of this natural object the relief is not homogeneous. The rocks are replaced by deep valleys and bays, in which silence reigns. Stones and plants coexist with each other: despite the fact that the island is granite, here grow shrubs, flowers, all kinds of grass and even pine forests.

The island of Monte Cristo, whose photo is presented in this article, is not very large. Its area is 10.39 kilometers square. The width and length of it are measured by four and almost three and a half kilometers.

The length of the coastline of this natural object is about sixteen thousand meters, or 16 kilometers. The main part of the coast of the island is inaccessible to moor to it. The only place to do this is the Mentor's Bay, located in the western part.

Here is a series of high points. The lowest point is the Coma dei Lechi - it rises above sea level by only 563 meters. Slightly more is the value of the Sima del Colle Fondo - 621 meters. And the highest is the top of the Monte Forteza case. It is located at an altitude of 645 meters.

History

It is believed that the first inhabitants arrived on the island of Monte Cristo in times dating from the Iron Age. It was then that this mysterious object of nature received the names given to it by the ancient Greeks and Romans. There is evidence that they once inhabited the island. They consist in the presence of a number of quarries on its territory, used to first extract granite, and subsequently build with its help other parts of the archipelago.

Already in the middle of the fifth century, the island of Monte Cristo became a refuge for hermits, who were hiding from vandals. They gave him the name, consonant with the modern: Mon Christie. Since the 7th century, a monastery called San Mamiliano was functioning on its territory. It was this man who lived in the chapel built in honor of his name. Soon the monastery began to be famous for its great riches, because of what the rumors about treasures spread throughout the world. Subsequently, they turned into legends, attracted a pirate named Dragou. In 1533, under his supervision, the monastery was destroyed, and the island was besieged. The people living on it became slaves.

Only in 1852 this place was taken over by the Englishman George Watson-Taylor, who used it as a botanical garden. At the same time, several buildings were built here. In the late nineteenth century, the island was sold to the Italian government. In 1878 a correctional colony was established here, and after it the territory was a site for royal hunting. It is known that Victor Emmanuel the Third spent his honeymoon here.

Population

As already mentioned, the island of the Count of Monte Cristo has a rich history. On its territory lived the ancient Romans and Greeks, Italians and Englishmen. He served as a refuge for hermits and monks. Some time of his life here, even held a member of the ruling family of Italy. And all this is the inhabitants of this mysterious island.

Now it is a place where only two people live on a permanent basis, working in the reserve called Isola di Monte Cristo. It was founded in 1971, since then it has become part of the national park, which has the same name as the whole archipelago.

At present, it is open for visiting. In a year there can get no more than a thousand people, and there is a special waiting list. Travel is worth it: tourists have the opportunity not only to see the sights of this mysterious place, but also to visit the Natural History Museum and the Botanical Garden.

There are a lot of prohibitions for visitors to the island: you can not swim, fish and surf in a radius of one kilometer from the coast. It is also forbidden to stay here for the night and walk around on your own.

Fame

This island became known after the eponymous novel by Alexandre Dumas saw the light. It tells about human feelings, about the difficulties of life in the fortress-prison, about wanderings and treasures. Many people are still interested in what is hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. Perhaps one day the world will receive an answer to this question.