Tino (island)

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**Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, **Tino** and Tinetto)**^a
**UNESCO World Heritage Site**

State Party	Italy
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv, v
Identification	#826
Region^b	Europe and North America
Inscription History
Formal Inscription:	1997 21st Session
a Name as officially inscribed on the WH List b As classified officially by UNESCO

Tino is an Italian island situated in the Ligurian Sea, at the westernmost end of the Gulf of La Spezia. It is part of an archipelago of three closely spaced islands jutting out south from the mainland at Portovenere. The largest of the three, Palmaria, lies to the north and the tiny Tinetto to the south.

In 1979 the archipelago, together with Portovenere and the Cinque Terre, was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

[edit] History

The patron saint of the Gulf of La Spezia, Saint Venerius (Italian San Venerio), is said to have lived in on the island as a hermit, and later as abbot, until his death in 630.^[1] His feast is celebrated here annually on 13 September. It is thought that a sanctuary was constructed at the place of Venerio's death to contain his remains and that this was extended to form a monastery in eleventh century. The remains of the monastery can be seen on the northern coast of the island.

Today the island, which is part of a military zone, is surmounted by a lighthouse.

[edit] Notes

^ No reliable account exists of Venerius’ life. Some place it in the ninth century.

[edit] Sources

Much of this article is based its equivalent in the Italian Wikipedia, Tino, as retrieved on 29 April 2006.
Further information on Saint Venerius from The Book of Saints, London: A & C Black, 1989.