The town's name honors King Carlo Emanuele III. Municipality in the province of Caboni-Iglesias, located in the South-Western part of Sardinia, on the Eastern shore of the Island of San Pietro, a territory full of hills and small lakes, where it is possible to visit a salt mine, a manganese mine and an astronomical station. The village is characterized by colorful houses in typical XIX century Ligurian style, surrounded by still visible sections of fortified walls. Carloforte is a seaside resort among the most famous and appreciated of the entire region of Sardinia, with its beautiful Cavern of "Mezzaluna" (Crescent Moon) and Cavern of the "Oche" (Geese).
The Island of San Pietro was already famous to the Carthaginians and the Romans, while in the VIII century, the domain of Sardinia, for reasons hereditary, passed from Spain to the Savoy. The latter decided to populate the coastline and assigned the territories to a colony of Genoese, who had previously colonized the Tunisian island of Tabarca. The Ligurians left a strong sign of their presence, still evident especially in the dialect. The engineers of the court prepared a development plan for the new city, that was founded in 1738. The original urban centre was built around the Castle, while later a second centre developed nearby the harbour. At the end of the XVIII century, the town submitted the ferocious attacks of pirates and several of its inhabitants were captured as slaves.

Attractions:
- the Parish Church dedicated to San Carlo Borromeo was built in 1737, decorated and furnished in subsequent years. It has a Classical style and features a splendid pediment, a single nave plan with three chapels on each side and flanked by a Bell Tower, built in the same period with similar characteristics;
- the Oratory of Our Lady, protector of the slaves, built in the XIX century, features a façade surmounted by a pediment and supported by pairs of columns;
- the XIX century Church of San Giacomo;
- the Church of Novelli Innocenti;
- Torre San Vittorio, named in honor of Vittorio Amedeo III and was built in 1768 to defend the town, until it submitted some changes. Today it houses the Astronomical Observatory;
- the monument to Carlo Emanuele III, which is a sculpture created in 1786;
- the XIX century city walls;
- the historical districts of the Old Centre;
- the coves and beaches;
- the Residence of the Duke;
- Palazzo Rombi.