Editing Montecristo

{{Short description|Island in the Tyrrhenian Sea}}
{{About|the island||Monte Cristo (disambiguation){{!}}Monte Cristo}}
{{Infobox islands
| name             = Montecristo
| image_name       = Montecristo_islet.jpg
| image_caption    =
| image_size       = 250px
| map =Italy Tuscany
| nickname         =
| location         = [[Tyrrhenian Sea]]
| coordinates      =
| archipelago      = [[Tuscan Archipelago]]
| total_islands    =
| major_islands    =
| area_km2         = 10.39
| length_km        = 4.1
| width_km         = 3.4
| coastline_km     = 17
| highest_mount    = Mount Fortezza
| elevation_m      = 645
| country          = [[Italy]]
| country_admin_divisions_title     = [[Regions of Italy|Region]]
| country_admin_divisions           = [[Tuscany]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1   = [[Provinces of Italy|Province]]
| country_admin_divisions_1         = [[Province of Livorno|Livorno]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_2   =
| country_admin_divisions_2         =
| country_capital_city              =
| country_largest_city              =
| country_largest_city_population   =
| country_leader_title              =
| country_leader_name               =
| population       = 2
| density_km2 = 0.15
| additional_info  =
}}
{{Location map | 100x100
| AlternativeMap = Tuscan archipelago.png
| caption = Montecristo and close islands | width=250 | lat  = 20.75  | long = 37 | mark=Cercle rouge 50%.svg | marksize=20 | float=right }}
'''Montecristo''', also '''Monte Cristo''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|ɒ|n|t|i|ˈ|k|r|ɪ|s|t|oʊ}},<ref>{{Dictionary.com|Monte Cristo|accessdate=28 February 2018}}</ref> {{IPA|it|ˌmonteˈkristo|lang}}) and formerly '''Oglasa''' ({{langx|grc|Ὠγλάσσα|Ōglássa}}), is an island in the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]] and part of the [[Tuscan Archipelago]]. Administratively it belongs to the [[comune|municipality]] of [[Portoferraio]] in the [[province of Livorno]], [[Italy]]. The island has an area of {{convert|10.39|km2|abbr=on}}, is approximately {{convert|4.1|km|abbr=on}} wide at its widest point, and is {{convert|3.4|km|abbr=on}} long; the coasts are steep, and extend for {{convert|16|km|abbr=on}}.<ref name=cfs>{{cite web|url=http://www3.corpoforestale.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/422|title=Riserva Naturale Statale Isola di Montecristo|publisher=Corpo forestale dello Stato|accessdate=28 February 2012|language=Italian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130082234/http://www3.corpoforestale.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/422|archive-date=30 January 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> The island is a state [[nature reserve]] and forms part of the [[Tuscan Archipelago National Park]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parks.it/parco.nazionale.arcip.toscano/Epar.php |title=Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano |publisher=Ente Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano |accessdate=2 March 2012}}</ref>

Much of the island's fame is derived from the fact that it provides the title of 1844 novel ''[[The Count of Monte Cristo]]'', by [[Alexandre Dumas]], and is one of the novel's settings.

==History==
The history of the island begins with the [[Iron Age]]. The [[Etruscans]] exploited the forests of oak needed to fuel the [[bloomery|bloomeries]] of [[Etruria|the mainland]] where the [[iron ore]] of Elba's mines was melted. The Greeks gave Montecristo its oldest known name, ''Oglasa'' or ''Ocrasia'', after the [[ochre|yellowish colour]] of the rocks. The Romans, however, knew it under the name ''Mons Jovis'' ("Mount Jupiter"), and erected an altar to [[Jupiter (mythology)|Iuppiter Optimus Maximus]] on the highest mountain, of which some traces remain. During the imperial age, the Romans opened some [[quarry|quarries]] to extract [[granite]], perhaps used in the construction of villas on the islands of [[Isola del Giglio|Giglio]], [[Elba]], and [[Giannutri]].<ref name=tim>{{cite web |url=http://www.uniurb.it/giornalismo/lavori2004/esposito/timeline.htm |title=Timeline |accessdate=27 February 2012 |language=Italian |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110210701/http://www.uniurb.it/giornalismo/lavori2004/esposito/timeline.htm |archivedate=10 January 2014 }} archive.org</ref>

Around the middle of the fifth century AD, the caves of the island became home to several [[hermit]]s escaping from the [[Vandals]] of [[Genseric]], the most important of whom was [[Mamilian of Palermo|St. Mamilian]].<ref name=tim/> They christened the island ''Mons Christi'' ("Mountain of Christ"), from which the modern name is derived.

At the beginning of the seventh century, Pope [[Pope Gregory I|Gregory the Great]] submitted them to the monastic rule of the [[Benedictine Order|Benedictines]].<ref name=tim/> In this period, the Monastery of St. Mamilian was founded; as a result of donations to the Church, its wealth became legendary, and a chapel was built in the St. Mamiliano Cave where the saint had lived in the fifth century.<ref name=per>{{cite book |last=Peria|first=Gloria|author2=Ferruzzi, Silvestre|title=L'isola d'Elba e il culto di San Mamiliano|place=Portoferraio|year=2010|language=Italian}}</ref> In 1216, the monks joined the order of the [[Camaldolese]]. Thanks to the donations of several noble families, the monastery became powerful and rich, and this gave rise to the legend of treasure hidden on the island.<ref name=tim/>

The island was once a possession of the [[Republic of Pisa]], but was later acquired by the [[Principality of Piombino]]. In 1553, [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] pirate [[Dragut]], heading for Elba, stormed the monastery, enslaved the monks, and decreed its end. After that, the island was uninhabited.<ref name=per/> In the second half of the sixteenth century, together with most of the Tuscan Archipelago, it became part of the [[Stato dei Presidi]], a client Spanish state.

The island was annexed to the [[First French Empire|French Empire]] under [[Napoleon]]; after his fall, it became the possession of the [[Grand Duchy of Tuscany]].<ref name=tim/> The first attempts to colonise Monte Cristo, at the time owned by Charles Cambiagi, were made in 1840 by two German hermits, Augustin Eulhardt and Joseph Keim, who eventually abandoned the attempt.<ref name=per/>  In 1843, other people arrived with the intention of cultivating the island: young [[County of Tyrol|Tyrol]]ean Adolph Franz Obermüller, and after a few months, Frenchman Charles Legrand and his girlfriend.<ref name=per/> Also during 1843, there were other attempts of colonisation by French agriculturalist George Guiboud, which ended with yet another failure. In 1846, some [[Genoa|Genoese]] made a similar effort, while in 1849 Frenchman Jacques Abrial was able to farm the island for three years.<ref name=per/> In 1852, a rich Englishman named George Watson-Taylor bought Montecristo and transformed Cala Maestra into a garden, planting [[eucalyptus]] and many exotic plants, among them the Asiatic ''[[Ailanthus altissima]]'', an [[invasive species]] which now infests the island.<ref name=tim/> The few modern buildings of Montecristo, such as the Royal Villa, date from this period. The island was then purchased by the Italian government on 3 June 1869 for the sum of £100,000. Montecristo had previously been plundered in 1860 by Italian exiles living in London, who had come to Italy to join up with the ''[[Redshirts (Italy)|Camicie rosse]]'', but were shipwrecked on the island.<ref name=per/> Faced with the huge sum of money claimed by the owner to repair the damage, the government thought it better to buy the island, which was still uninhabited.<ref name=per/>

[[File:Monastero o Abbazia di Montecristo.jpg|thumb|280px|left|Ruins of the Monastery of San Mamiliano]]
After other attempts at colonisation in 1878, the Italian government founded a penal colony there, a branch of that in [[Pianosa]].<ref name=per/>

In 1889, Montecristo was given to Marquess [[Carlo Ginori (19th century)|Carlo Ginori]], who restored the Villa and transformed the island into a hunting ground.

In 1896, Montecristo was the honeymoon destination of [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|Victor Emmanuel III]] of [[House of Savoy|Savoy]] (at that time crown prince) and [[Elena of Montenegro]],<ref name=per/> and after 1899 it became a royal hunting ground for Victor Emmanuel's exclusive use.

During the Second World War the island, important because of its position between Italy and occupied Corsica, was garrisoned by the [[Italian Army|Italian army]].<ref name=cfs/>

In the late 1940s, the Italian Navy Intelligence Agency temporarily took over the island for use as a training base for [[Covert operation|covert]] agents. Among Italian officers assigned as instructors were Count Marco deCarrobio and Luigi Ferri. The would-be agents belonged to a right wing Albanian expatriate organization known as the Bloku Kombetar Independent led by activist Alush Leshanaku, according to Shyqri Bicaku, an Elbasan native, who underwent training; Bicaku was also taught to use a field radio and became so proficient he was hired on to instruct secret agents from Romania to use the radio for their October, 1951 covert parachute drop into Romania's mountains; the Romanians were captured, tried and executed.

Montecristo was used as a Navy training base only from September to November 1948, when the trainees were transferred to Italy's west coast. Four of the trained agents were parachuted into Albania in February, 1949, but soon quit their mission and escaped to Greece due to a failed field radio.

After several episodes of vandalism and speculation attempts, the nature reserve was established in 1971.<ref name=cfs/>

In December 2011 it was reported that [[black rats]], present on the island at least since Roman times, have greatly increased in numbers and pose a serious threat to the birds of Montecristo.<ref name=lif/> Due to the inaccessibility of the terrain, the island was bombed from the air with [[rodenticide|poison pellets]], as had recently been attempted on [[Giannutri]] and [[Sardinia]], despite concerns raised by environmental groups that [[Indigenous (ecology)|indigenous]] species of wildlife and the surrounding waters might also be adversely affected.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.corriere.it/cronache/12_marzo_03/montecristo-ratti-neri-esche_424edd08-6514-11e1-8a59-8bc3a463cee3.shtml|title=Piovono esche avvelenate per salvare Montecristo dall'invasione dei ratti neri|journal=[[Corriere della Sera]]|first=Marco|last=Gasperetti|date=3 March 2012|accessdate=5 March 2012|language=Italian}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/9016384/Island-of-Montecristo-to-be-bombed-with-poison-after-rat-infestation.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115223721/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/9016384/Island-of-Montecristo-to-be-bombed-with-poison-after-rat-infestation.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 January 2012 |title=Island of Montecristo to be bombed with poison after rat infestation |author=Squires, Nick |date=15 January 2012 |accessdate=2 March 2012 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/9051588/Plan-to-bomb-Montecristo-with-rat-pellets-may-be-blocked.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202022505/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/9051588/Plan-to-bomb-Montecristo-with-rat-pellets-may-be-blocked.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 February 2012 |title=Plan to 'bomb' Montecristo with rat pellets may be blocked |author=Squires, Nick |date=31 January 2012 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |accessdate=2 March 2012}}.</ref> The [[Ailanthus]] trees were also to be eradicated.<ref name=lif/>

==Geography and climate==
[[File:Montecristo island.jpg|thumb|A satellite picture of the island]]
Montecristo is located in the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]] east of [[Corsica]], south of [[Elba]], west of the island of [[Isola del Giglio|Giglio]] and the [[Monte Argentario]] peninsula, southeast of the island of [[Pianosa]] and east of the [[Scoglio d'Africa]] rock, also known as Formica di Montecristo.

The island, formed by the heaving of a submarine [[pluton]], has a slightly elliptical shape, and is wholly mountainous, with several rock ledges rising steeply from the sea. It consists almost entirely of [[granodiorite]] with large crystals of [[orthoclase]].<ref name="lamb">{{cite book|last=Lambertini|first=Marco|title=Arcipelago Toscano e il Parco Nazionale |place=Pisa|year=2002|publisher=Pacini Editore|isbn=978-88-7781-334-3|language=Italian}}</ref> The mountain chain that crosses the island has three main peaks: Monte della Fortezza (645 m), Cima del Colle Fondo (621 m) and Cima dei Lecci (563 m).<ref name=cfs/> Montecristo's only natural harbour is ''Cala [[Mistral (wind)|Maestra]]'', on the northwest side.<ref name=cfs/> The island has plentiful water resources.

The island of Montecristo, like all the islands of the archipelago, has a mild climate, with a constant sea breeze, much sunshine, and very little rainfall (average annual values much lower than {{convert|500|mm|abbr=on}}); the climate is characterised by mild and moderately rainy winters and summers that are hot and dry, but sometimes very muggy.<ref name=cfs/>

==Wildlife==
[[File:Capra hircus aegagrus-cropped.jpg|thumb|Montecristo's goat (''Capra hircus'')]]
The conditions that restricted the establishment of human settlements on Montecristo have favoured the preservation of its flora and fauna. Animals and plants once found throughout the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] still live on the island. Of particular interest are the giant [[Erica (plant)|heather]] formations covering the valley floors and several thousand-year-old [[oak]]s that manage to survive at the highest altitudes. Also interesting are the Montecristo viper (''[[Vipera aspis hugyi]]'', a subspecies also present in southern Italy, and today considered introduced by humans) and ''[[Discoglossus sardus]]'', an [[amphibian]] found only in a couple of islands in Tuscany and Sardinia. An [[Endemism|endemic]] subspecies of [[lizard]], ''[[Podarcis muralis|Podarcis muralis calabresiae]]'', thrives on the island.<ref name= lamb/> Montecristo is also a resting place for thousands of [[migratory bird]]s and is home to large colonies of [[seabird]]s (particularly relevant the [[yelkouan shearwater]], {{As of|2012|lc=y}} critically endangered on the island).<ref name=lif>{{Cite web|url=http://www.montecristo2010.it/stealthV3_pubblica/0810373AOO0333028084.pdf|publisher=Corpo Forestale dello Stato&nbsp;– Parco Nazionale dell'arcipelago toscano|title=Piano per l'eradicazione del ratto nero Rattus Rattus nell'isola di Montecristo|accessdate=1 March 2012|language=Italian|year=2011|author=Paolo Sposino & others}}</ref><ref name=lamb/> The island also hosts the only Italian population of [[wild goat]]s. The sea environment is quite rich: there are [[seagrass meadow]]s, [[sea anemone]]s, [[sea fan]]s, [[coral]]s and [[Ocean sunfish|moonfish]]es. Until the 1970s the [[Mediterranean monk seal]] was also to be found, a critically endangered species that has become extremely rare in Italian waters.<ref name=lamb/> Endemic species include the plant ''Limonium Montis-christi'',<ref name=lamb/> the invertebrate ''Oxychilus oglasicola'' ([[snail]] of Monte Cristo), also present on the islet of Scola, near Pianosa,<ref name=lamb/> and the reptile ''Podarcis muralis calabresiae''.<ref name=lamb/>

===Island of Montecristo nature reserve===
Nowadays the island has only two permanent human inhabitants, both nature reserve keepers. In addition, agents of the [[Corpo Forestale dello Stato|State Forestry Corps]] from [[Follonica]] live there in alternating shifts of two weeks at a time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uniurb.it/giornalismo/lavori2004/esposito/Benelli/Benelli.html |title=Isolani, ma non isolate |accessdate=27 February 2012 |language=Italian |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110221241/http://www.uniurb.it/giornalismo/lavori2004/esposito/Benelli/Benelli.html |archivedate=10 January 2014 }} archive.org</ref> The state nature reserve ''Isola di Monte Cristo'' is a biogenetic reserve of 1,039 hectares established in 1971 by ministerial decree to protect the unique nature of the island.<ref name=cfs/> Today it belongs to the [[Tuscan Archipelago National Park]]. It was also awarded the European Diploma of Protected Areas in 1988,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.minambiente.it/home_it/menu.html?mp=/menu/menu_attivita/&m=argomenti.html |title=Ministero dell'Ambiente&nbsp;– Le aree protette italiane insignite del Diploma |language=Italian |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110702235936/http://minambiente.it/home_it/menu.html?mp=%2Fmenu%2Fmenu_attivita%2F&m=argomenti.html |archivedate=2011-07-02 }}</ref> and recognized as a site of pan-European interest.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwfeslreport.pdf|title=Habitats Directive WWF European Shadow List|publisher=[[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]]|accessdate=27 February 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Montecristo-68.JPG|thumb|The beach of ''Cala Maestra'']]
Visitors face a number of restrictions. It is not possible to stay overnight, and swimming, and surfing are prohibited within 1 kilometer of the coast. It is possible to cruise within three miles ({{convert|3|mi|abbr=out|disp=output only}}) of the coast, but fishing is not allowed. Access by sea is possible only at Cala Maestra (where the seabed is sandy) and with an approach course perpendicular to the coast; it is possible to dock at the pier or tie up against a buoy, but dropping anchor is not allowed; there is also a small heliport for emergencies. To visit the island, one must apply for access at the Forestry Corps in Follonica.

Visitors with basic authorization must stay at Cala Maestra, and can visit only the Royal Villa, the botanical garden, and the museum. The waiting list for access is long, since the limit for visitors has been set at only 1,000 per year. The average waiting time for approval to visit is three years, and priority is given to scientific expeditions, associations, and schools. Tours take place only on three existing trails, all of which are very challenging.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://greenholidayitaly.com/2013/06/05/the-forbidden-island-of-montecristo-tuscany/ |title=The Forbidden Island of Montecristo, Tuscany |date=2013-06-05 |access-date=2016-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203212232/http://greenholidayitaly.com/2013/06/05/the-forbidden-island-of-montecristo-tuscany/ |archive-date=2016-12-03 |url-status=unfit}}</ref>

==Landmarks==
* Monastery of St. Mamiliano
* Cave of St. Mamiliano
* Fortress of Monte Cristo on the island's highest peak (645 m)
* Royal Villa
* Natural History Museum
* Botanical Garden
* Mill at the Grotto of St. Mamiliano (ruins)
* Chapel of Santa Maria at the Cala di Santa Maria (ruins)

==See also==
* [[List of islands of Italy]]
* [[Tuscan Archipelago]]
* [[Introduced mammals on seabird breeding islands]]
* [[The Count Of Monte Cristo]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=33em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Montecristo island}}
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{{Portalbar|Geography|Islands|Italy}}
{{Tuscan Archipelago}}
{{The Count of Monte Cristo}}

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[[Category:Islands of Tuscany]]
[[Category:Province of Livorno]]
[[Category:Arcipelago Toscano National Park]]
[[Category:The Count of Monte Cristo]]
[[Category:Frazioni of Portoferraio]]