Calasetta is a small town and comune located on the island of Sant'Antioco, off the Southwestern coast of Sardinia, Italy. While the …Calasetta is a small town and comune located on the island of Sant'Antioco, off the Southwestern coast of Sardinia, Italy. While the town itself dates to 1770. In the middle of the 16th century a group of Ligurian families - many of them from Pegli near Genoa - moved to a deserted island off the coast of the Tunisian city of Tabarka in order to work the waters as coral fishermen. These families worked under the tutelage of the wealthy Genoese Lomellini family. These enterprising Ligurian families of Tabarka quickly expanded from coral fishing to trade between the African interior and European markets. Soon, they rose to positions of wealth and success and were awarded the titles of Marquis of Tabarka. Originally the Tabarkini were protected by the Spanish crown, but increasing population strain, incursions by Barbary pirates, and expansionist competition by France began a long period of trials for many Tabarkini.
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