Pillars of Hercules: From Carloforte to Tarifa

The visit to Carloforte, one of the last places where bluefin tunas are fished with the ancient method of the tonnara, allowed me to explore this endangered tradition that has linked for millennia the fate of the great fishes with that of Mediterranean coastal human communities. From there, I proceeded westward directed to Tarifa in the Strait of Gibraltar, more than 700 miles away, which I managed to reach after 4 days of sailing under the favourable push of a spell of Sirocco. Approaching the Strait, I laboured against an opposing current as I crossed the Alborán Sea, but had a spectacular encounter with a huge pod of common dolphins—thereby confirming the natural richness of the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean. Further along, as I got close to the “Pillars of Hercules”, I felt I was under the spell of all the myths surrounding the gate to the boundless ocean beyond, getting a sense of what such an experience might have meant for the ancient mariner.