Portoscuso Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Portoscuso

Portescusi

Comune

Comune di Portoscuso

Touristic port of Portoscuso

Coat of arms

Country

Frazioni

Paringianu, Brunc' 'e Teula, Portovesme

Area

• Total

39.1 km² (15.1 sq mi)

Elevation

6 m (20 ft)

Population

(30 April 2014)

• Total

5,242

• Density

134.07/km² (347.2/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Portoscusesi

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postal code

09010

Dialing code

0781

Patron saint

San Giovanni Battista (John the Baptist), Santa Maria d'Itria

Portoscuso (called Portescusi in the Sardinian language) is a town in the Province of South Sardinia in Sardinia, Italy. It's about 75 kilometers (47 miles) west of Cagliari and 14 kilometers (9 miles) northwest of Carbonia. People here speak Italian and a special kind of Sardinian called Campidanese.

Portoscuso shares its borders with the towns of Carbonia, Gonnesa, and San Giovanni Suergiu.

History of Portoscuso
Population Changes
Economy of Portoscuso
Gallery
See also

History of Portoscuso

The Torre Spagnola (Spanish Tower) in Portoscuso.

People have lived in the area around Portoscuso since the Neolithic Age (New Stone Age). During the Bronze Age, there were Nuraghe (ancient stone towers) like Baccu Ollasta. Also, a rock shelter at Punta Niedda showed signs of early life. In the 1940s, bones of six people and other items from the Bonnanaro culture were found there.

Later, the Phoenicians, then the Punics, and finally the Romans visited this area. We know the Romans were here because of old burial sites (cemeteries) found in places like San Giorgio.

During the Middle Ages, this land was part of the Giudicato of Cagliari until 1258. After that, it belonged to the Della Gherardesca family. From 1324, it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was one of the kingdoms under the Crown of Aragon.

The town of Portoscuso itself started in the 1600s. It was a small village where people fished for tuna and collected coral. Its name comes from the Catalan words Puerto Escos, which means "hidden port." Portoscuso officially became a town (a comune) in 1853, when the House of Savoy ruled.

The old tuna fishery, known as Su Pranu.

Important old buildings you can see today include the Spanish Tower, built in the 1500s. There's also the church of Madonna d'Itria from the 1600s. Another interesting place is the Arsenal, called Su Pranu, also from the 1600s.

The town is very proud of its history with tuna fishing. They are working to fix up the old fishing buildings.

Population Changes

In 1861, when Italy became one country, Portoscuso had 502 people. After World War II, a big industrial area called Portovesme grew in the 1960s and 1970s. This caused the population of Portoscuso to grow a lot.

Between 1951 and 1961, the number of people increased by over 42%.
Between 1961 and 1971, it grew by almost 33%.

This growth continued until the 1990s, when the town had nearly 6,000 people. As of 2023, about 1.3% of the people living in Portoscuso are from other countries. The largest groups are from Morocco, China, and Romania.

Economy of Portoscuso

Portoscuso is home to the Sulcis Power Station. This is the largest power station in Sardinia. Its chimney is the tallest man-made structure on the island.

As of 2023, Portoscuso has the highest average income per person in the Province of South Sardinia. The average income is about 19,600 euros per year.