View source for Sant'Antioco

{{about|the municipality in Sardinia|the martyr|Antiochus of Sulcis}}
{{Infobox Italian comune
| name                = Sant'Antioco
| official_name       = Comune di Sant'Antioco
| native_name         = Santu Antiogu
| image_skyline       = Sant'Antioco.jpg
| imagesize           = 
| image_alt           = 
| image_caption       = Seafront
| image_flag          = 
| image_shield        = sant'Antioco-Stemma.png
| shield_alt          = 
| image_map           = 
| map_alt             = 
| map_caption         = 
| pushpin_map         = Italy Sardinia
| coordinates         = {{coord|39|02|06|N|08|24|45|E|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| region              = [[Sardinia]]
| province            = [[Province of Sulcis Iglesiente|Sulcis Iglesiente]]
| frazioni            = Maladroxia
| mayor_party         = civic Party
| mayor               = Ignazio Locci (2017)
| area_footnotes      = 
| area_total_km2      = 87.90
| population_footnotes =<ref name="population">{{cite web|title=Resident population|url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=en|publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]]}}</ref> 
| population_total    = 10451
| population_as_of    = 2025
| population_demonym  = Antiochensi
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m         = 10
|istat=| saint               = [[Antiochus of Sulcis|Saint Antiochus (Sant'Antioco)]]
| day                 = 
| postal_code         = 09017
| area_code           = 0781
| website             = {{official website|http://www.comune.santantioco.ca.it/}}
| footnotes           = 
}}
'''Sant'Antioco''' ({{IPA|it|santanˈtiːoko}}; {{langx|sc|Santu Antiogu}}) is a town and [[Comune|municipality]] on the island of the same name in southwestern [[Sardinia]], in the [[Province of Sulcis Iglesiente]], in the [[Sulcis]] subregion. With a population of 10,451, the municipality of Sant'Antioco is the island's largest settlement.<ref name="population" /> It is also the site of ancient [[Sulci]], considered the second city of Sardinia in antiquity.

==Island of Sant'Antioco==
[[File:Sant'Antioco da monte Sirai.jpg|thumb|left|The island of Sant'Antioco as seen from [[Monte Sirai]]]]
Sant'Antioco is the second largest island of the Sardinian region, after Sardinia itself, with a surface of {{cvt|109|km2|mi2}}; it is also the fourth largest in Italy after [[Sicily]], Sardinia and [[Elba]]. It is located some {{cvt|87|km|mi}} from [[Cagliari]], to which is connected through the SS126 state road, using a modern bridge. The island is divided between the two municipalities of Sant'Antioco and [[Calasetta]]. Other settlements are the small tourist resort of Maladroxia (a ''[[frazione]]'' of Sant'Antioco municipality) and Cussorgia, part of Calasetta. The coast of the island is in part sandy and in part rocky. The main beaches in the island are Maladroxia and Coaquaddus, in the municipality of Sant'Antioco, and Sotto Torre, Le Saline and Spiaggia Grande in the municipality of Calasetta.

==History==
{{main|Sulci}}
[[File:Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum CIS I 149 (from Sardinia) (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Sant'Antioco bilingual]] evidence's the island's Phoenician history]]
The island of Sant'Antioco was settled at least from the 5th millennium BC (the so-called [[Ozieri culture|culture of San Michele of Ozieri]]), which was based mainly on fishing and agriculture. Typical tombs (called ''[[domus de janas]]'') and [[menhir]]s belonging to this culture have been found. The island also housed the [[nuragic civilization]]: findings include the [[Giants' grave]] of Su Niu de su Crobu ("''Crow's Nest''").
[[File:Mosaic pavement depicting two panthers drinking from a krater used to mix wine with water, from the crater a vine grows, found in Sant'Antioco, 2nd or 3rd century AD, Sant'Antioco Archaeological Museum, Sardinia (16568237797).jpg|thumb|left|[[Roman mosaic]] pavement depicting two panthers drinking from a krater]]
In the 8th century BC the [[Phoenicia]]ns founded a new settlement, with the name of '''Sulky''' ([[Punic language|Punic]]:{{nbsp}}{{sc|slky}})<ref>{{citation |last=Bernardini |first=Paolo |contribution= Sulky/Sulcis |title=Der Neue Pauly |volume=Supplement II, Band 10 |date=2015 |location=Stuttgart |publisher=J.B. Metzlersche}}. {{in lang|de}}</ref> or Solki,{{fact|date=December 2018}} of which a [[tophet]] (children) [[necropolis]] has been excavated. Later ('''6th''' century BC) it became a [[Carthage|Carthaginian]] colony, to which another necropolis belongs. The Punic domination ended in the 3rd century BC, when Sulky was conquered by the [[ancient Rome|Romans]], who connected it to the mainland through an artificial [[isthmus]]. During the civil war between [[Julius Caesar]] and [[Pompey]] it sided with the latter, being severely punished after his defeat. During Roman times, it was called '''Plumbaria''', after its [[lead]] deposits.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/90511 |title= Sant' Antioco di Sulcis| website= santiebeati.it| publisher= | access-date= }}</ref>

The current city name derives from [[Antiochus of Sulcis|St. Antiochus]], evangelizer of the area, who was martyred in 125 AD. After the decline and the end of the [[Western Roman Empire]], Sant'Antioco was a fortified strong point of the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]]. It was repeatedly attacked by the [[Saracen]]s starting from the early 8th century, and gradually abandoned by the inhabitants who fled to the more protected inner area; the island mainly remained important as the end of pilgrimages devoted to St. Antiochus. A new settlement (''bidda'' in [[Sardinian language|Sardinian]]) was established around 935 by the [[giudicato|judge]] (the local title for lord) of [[Cagliari]], but this also was abandoned after the end of the ''giudicato''. The island was a territory of the [[Kingdom of Sardinia]] (created in 1324) and later was acquired by archbishopric of Cagliari (1503) and, in 1758, by the religious Order of SS. Maurizio and Lazzaro. In the 18th century the area began to be repopulated and toward the mid of the century there were 38 houses, 15 workshops, and 164 huts, with some 450 inhabitants.
[[File:Forte Su Pisu Sant'Antioco.jpg|thumb|Forte of Su Pisu, 1813-15]]
In January–May 1793 the island was occupied by French troops under admiral [[Laurent Jean François Truguet]], and the citizens freed from ecclesiastical taxes. The last attack by North African pirates occurred in 1815;<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ricerca.gelocal.it/lanuovasardegna/archivio/lanuovasardegna/2003/02/02/SW203.html |title=Nel 1815 difese l'isola dagli assalti barbareschi Sant'Antioco, una targa in ricordo dell'eroe Efisio Melis Alagna - la Nuova Sardegna |website=ricerca.gelocal.it |publisher= |date= |access-date= |archive-date=2013-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203065736/http://ricerca.gelocal.it/lanuovasardegna/archivio/lanuovasardegna/2003/02/02/SW203.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> the same year in which the [[relics]] of the [[patron saint]] were brought back to the cathedral.

==Climate==
{{Weather box
 | width       = auto
 | collapsed   = yes
 | metric first = yes
 | single line = yes
 | location    = S. Antioco (1981–2010)
 | year high C = 23.0
 | year low C  = 13.6
 | Jan high C  = 15.1
 | Feb high C  = 15.9
 | Mar high C  = 18.3
 | Apr high C  = 20.3
 | May high C  = 24.8
 | Jun high C  = 29.1
 | Jul high C  = 31.9
 | Aug high C  = 32.3
 | Sep high C  = 28.2
 | Oct high C  = 24.7
 | Nov high C  = 19.5
 | Dec high C  = 16.0
 | Jan low C   = 7.4
 | Feb low C   = 7.1
 | Mar low C   = 8.9
 | Apr low C   = 10.7
 | May low C   = 14.7
 | Jun low C   = 18.2
 | Jul low C   = 20.9
 | Aug low C   = 21.3
 | Sep low C   = 18.3
 | Oct low C   = 15.5
 | Nov low C   = 11.6
 | Dec low C   = 8.4

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 56.2
|Feb precipitation mm = 57.1
|Mar precipitation mm = 42.2
|Apr precipitation mm = 53.3
|May precipitation mm = 28.6
|Jun precipitation mm = 12.1
|Jul precipitation mm = 0.6
|Aug precipitation mm = 7.4
|Sep precipitation mm = 41.9
|Oct precipitation mm = 60.3
|Nov precipitation mm = 83.5
|Dec precipitation mm = 73.9
|year precipitation mm = 517.1
| source = [https://www.snpambiente.it/snpa/arpa-sardegna/climatologia-della-sardegna-per-il-trentennio-1981-2010/ Climatologia della Sardegna per il trentennio 1981-2010]
 | date        = March 2024
}}

== Demographics ==
{{Historical populations|1861|3065|1871|3188|1881|3495|1901|4052|1911|4613|1921|5249|1931|6564|1936|6774|1951|9816|1961|10993|1971|11313|1981|12404|1991|12313|2001|11730|2011|11496|2021|10756|cols=1|align=right|source=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991|trans-title=Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991|url=https://ebiblio.istat.it/digibib/Censimenti%20popolazione/Censimentipopolazioneresidentedal1861/RML0050288Pop_res_cens_1861_1991.pdf|lang=it|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref><ref name="timeseries">{{cite web |title=Dashboard Permanent census of population and housing|url=https://esploradati.censimentopopolazione.istat.it/databrowser/#/en/censtest/dashboards|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref>}}
As of 2025, the municipality has a population of 10,451, of whom 49.1% are male and 50.9% are female. Minors make up 10.7% of the population, and seniors make up 32.5%, compared to the Italian average of 14.9% and 24.7% respectively.<ref name="population" />

As of 2024, the foreign-born population is 331, equal to 3.1% of the population. The 5 largest foreign nationalities are [[French people|French]] (53), [[Germans]] (51), [[Swiss people|Swiss]] (38), [[Romanians]] (36) and [[Chinese people in Myanmar|Chinese]] (18).<ref name="foreignborn">{{cite web |title=Resident population by sex, municipality and citizenship |url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=RCS&a=2024&l=en |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]]}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+Foreign population by country of birth (2024)<ref name="foreignborn" />
!Country
!Population
|-
|{{flag|France}}
|53
|-
|{{flag|Germany}}
|51
|-
|{{flag|Switzerland}}
|38
|-
|{{flag|Romania}}
|36
|-
|{{flag|China}}
|18
|-
|{{flag|Poland}}
|10
|-
|{{flag|Spain}}
|10
|-
|{{flag|Netherlands}}
|9
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}
|8
|-
|{{flag|United Kingdom}}
|8
|-
|{{flag|Russia}}
|7
|-
|{{flag|Morocco}}
|6
|-
|{{flag|Ukraine}}
|6
|-
|{{flag|Brazil}}
|5
|-
|{{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}
|5
|}

==Main sights==
*The Palaeo-Christian Basilica of Sant'Antioco, restored in 1089–1102 with its [[catacombs]]
*[[Roman bridge]]
*Roman fountain
*Ancient [[acropolis]]
*Phoenician and Punic necropolises
*[[Tophet]]
*Hypogeal village
*Ferruccio Barreca Archaeological Museum
*The Forte Su Pisu (1812)

==Events==
In the period from 15 May to 15 June a famous tuna "[[mattanza]]" is held, with fishing of [[Atlantic bluefin tuna]] (''Thunnus thynnus'').

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Basilica di Sant'Antioco Martire.jpg|Basilica of Sant'Antioco Martire
File:Roman bridge, restructured and restored in medieval times, Sant'Antioco, Sardinia (16153128443).jpg|Roman bridge
File:Sant’Antioco 44.jpg|Tophet
File:Le scogliere (2386381514).jpg
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[List of islands of Italy]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Sant’Antioco}}
* [http://www.sant-antioco.it Sant'Antioco cultural site]


{{Portalbar|Geography|Islands|Italy}}
{{Islands of Italy in the Mediterranean}}
{{Province of Sulcis Iglesiente}}
{{Phoenician cities and colonies navbox|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sant'antioco}}
[[Category:Islands of Sardinia]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 8th century BC]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Italy]]