Tino has an area of 12.7 hectares . With the much larger island of Palmaria in the north and the islet Tinetto in the south, it forms the extension of the peninsula, which shields the Gulf of La Spezia (also Golfo dei Poeti ) from the Mediterranean and rises to 543 m with Monte Santa Croce . The three islands are part of the Portovenere and Cinque Terre cultural landscape , which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 .
history
Born in Palmaria, Saint Venerius lived on the island as a hermit until his death in 630. He is considered the patron saint of ship pilots and the Gulf of La Spezia, as legend has it that he lit beacons on the island for the boats approaching La Spezia. A small chapel was built over the presumed place of his death on the north coast of the island in the 7th century, which was expanded into a monastery in the 11th century. At the highest point of the island with its pine trees (99 m slm ) there is a lighthouse built in 1884 instead of a classicist predecessor from 1840, which has been operated fully automatically since 1985. A small museum next to it provides information about Saint Venerius.
Tino today
The entire island is a restricted military area and is administered by the Comando di Zona Fari ("Command of the Lighthouse Zones") of the Italian Navy . It may not be entered or approached by boats. It is only open to the public on the occasion of the Feast of St. Venerius on September 13th . On this day it is approached from La Spezia with excursion boats and is a popular destination for the residents of the nearby mainland. After a pilgrims' mass in the former abbey church, a banquet is held at the museum; Postcards can be sent from the island on the day, the postmark of which is a popular collector's item among stamp collectors.