NO Libyan DNA In Tremiti Islanders - Qaddafi Asked For Tests - HISTORY

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                                                    No Libyan DNA in Italian islanders


                                              Gaddafi asked for tests on exile archipelago






 (ANSA) -
Tremiti Islands,
October 27 -

DNA tests requested by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to see if the inhabitants of a tiny Italian archipelago are descended from 1,300 Libyans once exiled there have proved negative, it was revealed Monday.

Tremiti Islands Mayor Giuseppe Calabrese said around 30 people volunteered for the tests, which were carried out by Libyan scientists, following an appeal from the Libyan embassy in Rome.

''From the results it doesn't seem that there are Libyan descendants among the Tremiti islanders,'' he said.

Around 1,300 Libyans were exiled to the Adriatic archipelago off the coast of Puglia after 1911, when Italy first colonised the North African country.

''Many of the Libyans deported to the Tremiti Islands died relatively soon afterwards from typhus, an illness they contracted before they arrived here, and were buried in a common grave'' said Calabrese.

A mausoleum in their honour was built in 2004 and was inaugurated in the presence of Libyan representatives, with whom the islanders ''have a strong friendship'', he added.

''I think this was an important experiment that we had a duty to carry out,'' said the mayor.

''It's essential that there is a good relationship between Libya and Italy and I think I can say that the first friendly actions came from the Tremiti Islands''.

Calabrese said he hoped that Gadaffi would visit the archipelago soon.

Around 350 people live on the islands, which are now a national marine reserve and a popular summer tourist resort thanks to their pristine waters.

However, the archipelago has a long history as a place of exile.

The Roman Emperor Augustus (27 BC-19 AD) banished his granddaughter Julia the Younger to the Tremiti Islands after discovering her affair with a senator, while up until 1926 political prisoners were sent here during the Fascist regime.

In August Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and Gaddafi signed a historic friendship and cooperation accord which aims to resolve issues related to Italy's colonial occupation of Libya.

Under the $5 billion deal, Italy will fund various projects including the Italian construction of a coastal highway linking Libya with Egypt and Tunisia, while the claims of 20,000 Italians expelled by Gaddafi from Libya in 1970 are also addressed.

On Thursday Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini is set to reveal details of the accord, which must still be ratified by parliament.

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TREMITI ISLANDS



The Tremiti Islands (the green San Domino, the rough San Nicola and the wild Caprara) lie 22 miles from the Gargano promontory (province of Foggia) and are also known as the pearls of the Apulian Adriatic Sea. The other three isles located further out (Pianosa, Pelagosa Grande and Pelagosa Piccola) and a small group of 16 minor crags are part of the same group of islands .



Aerial view of the Tremiti islands  -  Map of the Tremiti Islands  - 

The island of San Nicola still has the threatening look of its one-time function as defence against pirates, though it is now the paradise of underwater fishermen

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1630 A.D.

MAP OF TREMITI ISLANDS

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SAN DOMINO ISLAND

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This is an archipelago formed of three main islands and some cliffs lying on a limestone shelf located in the Adriatic Sea north of Gargano. Uncontaminated nature, crystal clear water, the variety of colours of the soundings, the fascinating history, all this makes the Tremiti Isles a tourist stop over point.

In ancient times the Tremiti Islands were known as "Insulae Diomedeae", because they were linked to the mythical Diomedes who it is said was buried here after the Trojan war. Accoding to the people who used to live here, the moans which can be heard on summer nights was the weeping of the companions of the Greek hero. In truth these moans, which sound like the crying of newly born babies, can still be heard today but are no more than the calls of shearwaters; birds belonging to the petrel family, which find an ideal environment on the Tremiti Islands to build their nests.

The beauty of the Tremiti Islands has always been known, as shown legends and poems dedicated to these places. The name may come from the "shaking" of the very frequent earthquakes. The isles are twelve miles north-east from the Gargano; northern coast, facing the lake of Lesina. They can be easily reached from Foggia by helicopter and from the main coastal locations nearby (Manfredonia, Peschici, Rodi Garganico, Termoli and Vasto) by means of motorboats and hydrofoil. From 1989 the Tremiti isles are a Marine natural reserve.

At Tremiti Islands, there is tourist accommodation available in hotels, residence self-catering accommodation, b&b, rooms for rent, holiday homes, camp sites and tourist villages.

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                                                                 History -




There is a large amount of evidence of the presence of man on the Tremiti islands from ancient times.

The remains of Neolithic villages (ancient, middle and upper) are present on S. Domino, whereas on S. Nicola the following things have been found: piling holes of an Iron Age hut, sepulchral graves dating back to the Classical and Hellenistic Ages and the remains of two Domus Romanae.

At the beginning of the new Millennium, documentary sources indicated a first religious centre used by the Benedictine Cassino monks. It is thought that the construction of the Monastery and St. Mary's church can be dated back to the first years of the XI century. What is certain is that the Tremiti Abbey experienced a period of real splendour during the course of the XI century, increasing its own possessions on the mainland significantly.

Independence and power indicated the beginning of a moral and material decadence of the order and in 1237 Cardinal Raniero from Viterbo gave the Bishop of Termoli the job of replacing the Benedictine order with the Cistercensi order of the Casanova monastery in Parma.

The frequent incursions of Slav pirates led to the complete disappearance of the order in 1334 and to the destruction of a large part of the Monastery. None of the Cistercense monks was spared and following this, the island was uninhabited for decades.

Following the massacre of the Cistercensi monks, several religious orders refused to move to the Tremiti islands until, after great pressure, Pope Gregory XII sent a congregation of Lateranensi canons in 1412. These monks, like those which preceded them experienced an initial period of rapid growth of the Abbey followed by a slow period of decadence.

During the Bourbon period, the King of Naples Charles III of Bourbon expressed strong reservations over the property of the Lateranensi in the Tremiti islands. In 1782 Ferdinand IV, who had succeeded Charles III, did away with the Abbey and included the heritage in the Royal property. In 1792 he set up a penal colony in the Tremiti islands which remained in operation until 1926.

In 1932 Tremiti became an independent area. Since the abolition of the penal colony, the Islands administration has been concerned with exploiting the tourist development over the past decades.

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                                                                   Archaeology -





The island showing the most ancient traces of human presence is that of S. Domino.

At the centre of the plateau in the district of Prato Don Michele, there are the remains of an ancient Neolithic village (VII Millennium B.C.), characterised by stamped, cut and lapped pottery.

Three ancient and medieval shipwrecks have been found which lie off the Western (Punta del Vapore) and Southern (Punta del Diavolo) coastline of the island of S. Domino.

The island of S. Nicola shows traces of a protohistoric settlement dating back to the I Millennium B.C. and to the beginning of our times. There are holes for the posts of probable Iron Age (IX-VII century B.C.) huts in the high part. The sequences of the holes are interrupted by sepulchral graves and two cavelike tombs, one of which has been wrongly called Diomedes Tomb, which may date back to the Classical and Hellenistic Age.

On the lower terrace of the Island, precisely under the town hall, a fragment of mosaic flooring was discovered which belonged to a domus romana. Recently in the vicinity of the port, rooms excavated in the rock have been discovered which contain transporting amphora.

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                                                  Scuba diving and sea floor landscape -





The Tremiti Islands take their form almost for enchantment on a sea unrivalled for colour and clarity and,
thanks to the beauty and richness of its sea floor, is a favourite destination for scuba divers.

Immersion in the underwater environment of the Tremiti Islands is an evocative experience.

The waters of the archipelago are a marvel of colours and variety of marine flora and fauna.

The sea's clarity permits the participation even of the less experienced and makes snorkelling among the rocks a fascinating marine excursion. It is also one of the choice sites for more skilled divers and the Diving Centres, situated on the island of San Domino, provide all the information and services necessary for this relaxing and stimulating activity.

It is also possible to dive throughout the year as well as at night, and to visit the Parco Marino (Marine Park) surrounding the Tremiti Islands.

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                                                                    Attractions






- There are a lot of tourist attractions.

The splendid Cala delle Arene, Cala degli Inglesi, Cala Matano, present on S. Domino, can easily be reached on foot to spend whole days in the sun bathing in crystal clear variously coloured water.

It is possible to get away from the most crowded areas and reach the remaining splendid bays that surround islands with small craft.

It is also possible to admire the beauty of the coastal formations like rocks (Scoglio dell'Elefante), isolated crags
(I Pagliai) and natural arches (l'Architiello).

Then there are the mysterious caves: Grotta delle Viole with its vertically rocks, Grotta delle Rondinelle, Grotta
del Sale, Grotta del Bue Marino. It is also possible for tourists to sail around the islands on the numerous ships belonging to a cooperative, which operate in the summer showing the beauty of the Tremiti coast.

Amongst these, there is the pleasure boat Nautilus that has a glass bottom from which the beauty of the sea bottoms full of rich marine organisms like molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms and numerous species of fish can be admired.

On S. Domino there are some Diving Centres where, amongst other things, you can book a guided tour both along the most interesting soundings around the Islands and aroung the site where the statue of Padre Pio is emerged. This statue was sculpted by Mimmo Norcia.

However, the Tremiti islands are not only sea. A visit to S. Nicola means a trip back into the past: just by looking at the walls of the Fortress you can relive the history of a warring abbey still struggling against the Saracen or Dalmatian pirates.

The Medieval cloisters, the Renaissance one and St. Mary church with its Polyptych and the wooden Crucifix, this is just a selection of the splendid architectural work to be admired on the island of S. Nicola.

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                                                              Events





- In the summer period, the most important events on the Tremiti islands include a typical confectionery and cake festival and a medieval historical procession in S. Nicola.

The religious events include the patron's feast day the "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary" which is celebrated on the 15th and 16th August. During this celebration, the image of the Madonna is taken on procession both by land around the town's streets and by sea around the islands on a fishing boat, which has been appropriately adorned.

On the same day, the inhabitants of the island organise other events like an enormous fry-up of fish in the Town Square and the greasy pole.



http://www.emmeti.it/Welcome/Puglia/ProvFoggia/Gargano/Isoletremiti/index.uk.html

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