The Barefoot King

Self-styled King of Tavolara, Antonio “Tonino” Bertoleoni

 TAVOLARA ISLAND, Sardinia –- On most days the self-styled King of Tavolara can be found in casual attire swanning about barefoot at his eponymous restaurant “da Tonino”. 

 “Yes, because here we live by the sea. How do you keep your shoes on? It’s unbearable with the heat,” says putative sovereign, Antonio “Tonino” Bertoleoni.

 While monarch, restaurateur and survivalist, Tonino, 91, may not engender the same recognition as his UK counterpart, King Charles III, he has the privilege of ruling the “smallest kingdom in the world,” in the unspoilt beauty of a tiny island paradise.

 Furthermore, this simple, humble ruler could give the British head of state a tip or two on surviving a hike in Sardinia’s surprisingly demanding mountainous territory. 

 “It seems small (but) it’s an island that’s very impervious,” he tells The Italian Insider. “I have done the mountains of Monte Albo (a mountain range in central eastern Sardinia), but it is a stroll there compared to (Tavolara).”

 From San Teodoro to Olbia, the majestic massif of the tiny island of Tavolara, in the province of Sassari, provides an imposing and stunning backdrop to Sardinia’s northeastern beaches. At 564 metres above sea level, the limestone formation resembles the hump of a Spinosaurus (dinosaur) rising from the emerald waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

 Still, Tavolara’s massif is a mere mound compared to the highest peak in the Italian Alps – Mont Blanc, which has an altitude of 4,808 metres. 

 The island, a popular trekking spot, attracts hundreds of tourists, including inexperienced hikers, Tonino says. But its appearance belies its perilousness, duping adventurers into climbing ill equipped. 

 In July, a chopper rescued a French national who was stranded on the “Ferrata degli Angeli.”

 “They go there, they get lost … lose their strength, fall and hurt themselves,” he says.

 Tavolara is for experienced hikers, equipped for the summer heat, Tonino adds.

 Tour guides rate the Via Ferrata degli Angeli as a ‘difficult’ route to the island’s peak, Punta Cannone, alternating between horizontal traverses and steep, vertical, uneven terrain, aided by a steel cable.

 “Now, people hike, then call for help, and emergency services have to intervene … it’s happening too often,” Tonino says. 

 “One day I climbed the mountain twice. Yes, twice,” he says. “In the morning and after lunch … for the navy.”

 Tonino, who knows the island like the back of his hand, assisted two lost navy officers from the NATO military base, located at the opposite end of the island.

 “(They) wanted to come here on foot from (the base). It was summer – the month of August. It was already hot. They didn’t find the path to get here. They slept on the mountain, alone. And in the morning … I hear a voice calling me from the top of the mountain: ‘Tonino, Tonino’. I already knew they had searched for them with a boat. As soon as I heard ‘Tonino, Tonino’, I said ‘they’re looking for me’, they would certainly need water,” Tonino says. 

 Equipped with water, he climbed the mountain for the second time that day. When he found them, they quaffed the water and quickly recovered. “Then slowly, slowly, they returned to the military base on foot,” he says.

 According to Tonino, the Tavolara monarchy started in 1836 after a repartee between then King of Sardinia-Piedmont, Charles Albert, and Tonino’s great-great-grandfather, Giuseppe Bertoleoni.

 King Charles Albert arrived in Tavolara aboard the royal yacht in search of wild goats with golden teeth and the man who had whipped up protests among Sardinian locals for “taking possession” of the islands of the Madelenna Archipelago, off the north coast of Sardinia, along with Tavolara. 

 “(Giuseppe) invited him on a goat hunting trip the next day,” Tonino says. The goats were said to have golden teeth from chomping on yellow Helichrysum flowers. 

 “After this hunting trip, Giuseppe Bertoleoni said ‘you are the King of Piedmont and Sardinia, but I am the King of Tavolara.’”

 Following this quip, the monarch did, in fact, appoint Bertoleoni the King of Tavolara. 

 “He takes paper and pen and writes ... Giuseppe Bertoleoni, born (20 December

1778), is known by King Carlo Alberto as King of Tavolara.” 

 Some years later the Italian government, failing to recognise the Bertoleonis’ claim, declared the island property of the state, Tonino explains. By that stage, Giuseppe had handed the crown over to son Paolo I, who received a notice of expropriation from the state.

 On a mission to salvage his patrimony, Paolo I headed to the royal palace in Turin where, after a meeting with King Carlo Alberto, he was assured the matter would be taken care of.

 “He says ‘you will see that from now on no-one will bother you anymore,’” Tonino says.

 A few weeks later, the land registry offices in Tempio Pausana in the Gallura region of northern Sardinia, in the province of Sassari, received confirmation of the appointment: “No other owner is recognised on the island of Tavolara. Paolo Bertoleoni is the King,” Tonino recounts.

 Word of the micronation reached Queen Victoria, who sent the royal photographers to capture images of the Bertoleoni family. Pointing to a portrait in his restaurant, Tonino says the original image is held in Buckingham Palace, alongside a collection of all the world’s royals, with the title: The royal family of Tavolara, in the gulf of Terranova Pausania, the smallest kingdom in the world.

 “So, it was a total recognition,” Tonino says. “This is the true story of Tavolara. We are the heirs. I am the eldest heir … after me there is (my son) Giuseppe.”

 Yet there are still those who are keen to overthrow the King. 

 “With political force, that wretched force of these politicians, of these Mafiosi … so you, with no connections, who is small here on the island, who is nothing ... slowly, slowly, they try to eliminate you, to take away everything you have – documents, newspapers, everything and knock you out,” he says.

 Evidently, the Bertoleonis conceded land for military use to King Victor Emmanuel III, who reigned over Italy during two world wars, with right of first refusal should the land be sold. Instead, following the demilitarization of the island in 1927, the land was auctioned without the Bertoleonis’ knowledge. It was bought by the Venetian-Roman Marzano family, who reportedly holds 450 hectares, plunging the two families into an ownership dispute.

 But with the rise of social media the colourful history of Tavolara, interlaced with legend, exploded worldwide.

 “From China, Japan, from all over, they come here to find me,” Tonino says with a triumphant glint in his eyes. He hopes future generations can continue the reign unimpeded.

 “Leave (the Bertoleonis) in peace, let them live in peace, even after my death. That’s what I want.” 

The island of Tavolara can be reached by ferry from Porto San Paolo (around 17 kilometres from Olbia) until 31 October. Phone: 349 4465993

Tavolara island
Tonino, the barefoot king, with an image of his grandfather Carlo I, the third king of Tavolara (centre), taken by Queen Victoria’s photographers, circa 1897

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