Italian Island Research Articles

Fast Frequency Support Through LED Street Lighting in Small Non-Synchronous Power Systems

Small-sized non-synchronous islands, which are inherently characterized by low system inertia, will face in the next years the challenge of integrating larger and larger amount of renewable energy sources, leading to further reduction of inertia. Several means to support inertia and frequency transients have been proposed in the literature, including energy storage systems, distributed generation, and demand response. LED street lighting systems are widespread control resources, which in a smart grid scenario, can be regulated by means of local or remote control signals. This article investigates the possibility to regulate the power consumption of LED street lighting to provide frequency support in a system characterized by reduced total inertia. Tests are carried out integrating the simulation of the non-synchronous power system of an Italian small island with the response of an actual LED street lamp, in a Power Hardware-in-the-Loop testing environment. Both synthetic inertia and fast frequency response approaches are tested and discussed.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prevention through Monoclonal Antibodies: A Cross-Sectional Study on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Italian Pediatricians.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a leading cause of morbidity and hospitalization in all infants. Many RSV vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAb) are currently under development to protect all infants, but to date preventive options are available only for preterms. In this study, we assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards RSV and the preventive use of mAb in a sample of Italian Pediatricians. An internet survey was administered through an internet discussion group, with a response rate of 4.4% over the potential respondents (No. 389 out of 8842, mean age 40.1 ± 9.1 years). The association of individual factors, knowledge, and risk perception status with the attitude towards mAb was initially inquired by means of a chi squared test, and all variables associated with mAb with p < 0.05 were included in a multivariable model calculating correspondent adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Of the participants, 41.9% had managed RSV cases in the previous 5 years, 34.4% had diagnosed RSV cases, and 32.6% required a subsequent hospitalization. However, only 14.4% had previously required mAb as immunoprophylaxis for RSV. Knowledge status was substantially inappropriate (actual estimate 54.0% ± 14.2, potential range 0-100), while the majority of participants acknowledged RSV as a substantial health threat for all infants (84.8%). In multivariable analysis, all these factors were characterized as positive effectors for having prescribed mAb (aOR 6.560, 95%CI 2.904-14.822 for higher knowledge score; aOR 6.579, 95%CI 2.919-14.827 for having a hospital background, and a OR 13.440, 95%CI 3.989; 45.287 for living in Italian Major Islands). In other words, reporting less knowledge gaps, having worked in settings with a higher risk of interaction with more severe cases, and being from Italian Major Islands, were identified as positive effectors for a higher reliance on mAb. However, the significant extent of knowledge gaps highlights the importance of appropriate medical education on RSV, its potential health consequences, and the investigational preventive interventions.

Mordellistenaplatypoda, a new species of tumbling flower beetle from the island of Ischia in Italy (Coleoptera, Mordellidae).

Mordellistena A. Costa, 1854, the most species-rich genus of tumbling flower beetles comprises more than 800 species worldwide and more than 150 reported from Europe. Here, a new species Mordellistena(s. str.)platypoda is described from the island of Ischia in Italy. The species hypothesis is based primarily on morphological characters which are visualised using scanning electron microscopy images, high-resolution photographs, and drawings. The species hypothesis is supported by analysis of a 658 bp fragment of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI). Divergences in the COI gene are evaluated using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses. The species delimitation is assessed using Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning (ASAP) and Poisson Tree Processes (PTP) methods. Genetic distances are visualised using multidimensional scaling. Mordellistenaplatypoda Selnekovič, Goffová & Kodada, sp. nov. is recovered as a well-separated species by both molecular and morphological analyses. Our results show that M.platypoda Selnekovič, Goffová & Kodada, sp. nov. is most closely related to M.tarsata Mulsant, 1856, although the two species differ significantly in vestiture colouration, presence of lateral ctenidia on the third metatarsomere, and presence of sexual dimorphism on the protibia. The results indicate that such morphological differences, which were traditionally used to distinguish between species groups, may in fact be present between closely related species. Interestingly, examination of the numerous museum material did not reveal additional specimens of the new species, and therefore M.platypoda Selnekovič, Goffová & Kodada, sp. nov. is currently known only from the Italian island of Ischia.

Origin, Genetic Variation and Molecular Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 Strains Circulating in Sardinia (Italy) during the First and Second COVID-19 Epidemic Waves.

Understanding how geography and human mobility shape the patterns and spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 is key to control future epidemics. An interesting example is provided by the second wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in Europe, which was facilitated by the intense movement of tourists around the Mediterranean coast in summer 2020. The Italian island of Sardinia is a major tourist destination and is widely believed to be the origin of the second Italian wave. In this study, we characterize the genetic variation among SARS-CoV-2 strains circulating in northern Sardinia during the first and second Italian waves using both Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Next Generation Sequencing methods. Most viruses were placed into a single clade, implying that despite substantial virus inflow, most outbreaks did not spread widely. The second epidemic wave on the island was actually driven by local transmission of a single B.1.177 subclade. Phylogeographic analyses further suggest that those viral strains circulating on the island were not a relevant source for the second epidemic wave in Italy. This result, however, does not rule out the possibility of intense mixing and transmission of the virus among tourists as a major contributor to the second Italian wave.

Challenges and Perspectives of Smart Grid Systems in Islands: A Real Case Study

Islands are facing significant challenges in meeting their energy needs in a sustainable, affordable, and reliable way. Traditionally, the primary source of electricity on the islands has been imported diesel fuel, with high financial costs for most utilities. In this context, even replacing part of the traditional production with renewable energy source can reduce costs and improve the quality of life of islanders. However, integrating large amounts of renewable energy production into existing grids introduces many concerns regarding feasibility, economic analysis, and technical implementation. From this point of view, machine learning and deep learning techniques are efficient tools to mitigate these problems. Their potential results are beneficial considering isolated grids of small islands which are not connected to the national grid. In this paper, a study of the Italian island of Ponza is carried out. The isolation leads to several challenges, such as the high cost related to the transport, installation, and maintenance of renewable energy sources in a small area with several constraints and their intermittent power production, which requires the use of storage systems for dispatching purposes. The proposed study aims to identify future developments of the electricity grid by considering the deployment of both renewable energy sources and energy storage systems. Furthermore, future scenarios are depicted through the use of autoregressive and deep learning techniques to give an idea about the economic costs of both energy demand and supply.

Editorial

“eco.mont – Journal of Protected Mountain Areas Research and Management” was founded as a joint initiative of the Alpine Network of Protected Areas (ALPARC), the International Scientific Committee on Research in the Alps (ISCAR), the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the University of Innsbruck. “eco.mont” offers a platform specifically for scientists and practitioners working in and on protected mountain areas in Europe and overseas. Target audiences of the journal are scientists from all related disciplines, managers of protected areas and an interested public including practitioners, visitors, teachers, etc.“eco.mont” is available by open access under CC BY-NC-ND-Licence from the Austrian Academy Press and in a printed version from Innsbruck University Press. Alpine protected areas play a key role in biodiversity conservation, but also in monitoring species and habitats. Since its first issue, eco.mont has published articles on long-term monitoring programmes in different areas of the Alps. The current issue covers a wide range of topics concerning protected areas globally. Geographically, the articles cover protected areas in the Alps, the Himalayas, Southern Siberia and the Italian island of Sardinia. The subjects discussed include anthropogenic sounds and their influence on outdoor recreation, sacred larch trees as cultural monuments, firewood as a natural resource, sustainable regional development in a natural park and Biosphere Reserve on Sardinia, a glimpse into the EuroMAB Conference 2022 in Carynthia, Austria, the influence of historic and current land-use changes on wetland habitats, the development of the small-mammal fauna in the Swiss National Park in the last 100 years, and the conservation of endemic species in the Yarlung Zangbo river basin in Tibet.

Lampedusa, football and COVID-19: transitions at the border and the role of sport

ABSTRACT Lampedusa is a remote Italian island, known as a border zone and European point of entry for many asylum-seekers coming by boat from North Africa. This research seeks to understand the value of sport in Lampedusa for its local and migrant population, in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with experts from the local community. Results show that sport in Lampedusa is often synonymous with football. Football has always been informally practiced in the island but has proved to be of practical social value to both asylum-seekers and the local population. The pandemic has however interrupted the playful interactions occurring between asylum-seekers and the local youth. Findings show that the interactions and connections enabled through football can be fundamental for asylum-seekers to find direction in their journey but since the start of the pandemic, these interactions have become limited, and serve exclusively as temporary moments of relief. These changes have also impacted the local population, anxious about the transition occurring within the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in worries about the condition of the asylum-seeking population who are proceeding in their European journey without the assistance of the locals.

Zelus renardii Kolenati, 1857 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) has reached the Italian island of Pianosa

Zelus renardii Kolenati, 1857 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) has reached the Italian island of Pianosa

Porcupines in Italian islands: update on the distribution of Hystrix cristata in Sardinia

Abstract In the last few decades, the crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata L., 1758) showed a remarkable range expansion in Italy, due to legal protection, climatic change and antropochorous releases. Particularly, porcupines have been released also in Sardinia, with first records of this large rodent in the wild dating back to 2005. Historical and social factors related to the progressive urbanization and the consequent abandonment of the traditional land use in mountain landscapes probably helped the re-expansion of forest, uncultivated fields and of animal’s species associated with these habitats. In Sardinia, a population establishment and a subsequent expansion of the area of distribution can be predicted as large portions of the island are highly suitable for the crested porcupine. Therefore, this recently introduced population should be removed to limit potential ecological and social conflicts.

Antenatal Screening and Diagnosis of ß-thalassemia in High-Risk Population of Sardinia

Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean sea with a population of 1,7 millions, has one of the highest incidence of β-thalassemia with 10-12% of carriers. Since 1977 we have been offering a capillary screening program and prenatal diagnosis to couples following non-directive genetic counselling. Thanks to the implementation of new molecular analysis methods, we shifted from prenatal diagnosis performed in 2nd trimester of pregnancy to 1st trimester. In order to avoid termination of pregnancy in case of affected fetuses following prenatal diagnosis we introduced preimplantation genetic testing, thus increasing notably the acceptance rate of antenatal screening and diagnosis by couples at high risk. In this paper, we report the continuous experience of our prenatal centre in Sardinia in 9,324 antenatal diagnoses of β-thalassemia, the accuracy and safety related to the prenatal procedures we employed, the termination of pregnancy rate and the couples’ acceptance of the different approaches as well as analyze the screening programs available to the Sardinian population. Molecular screening by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based methods, prenatal diagnosis by Chorionic Villous Sampling (CVS) with very low fetal loss rate (0,3%) and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) were the most common techniques applied in our prenatal centre and they have brought to a drastical reduction of newborns affected by β-thalassemia to only 3-5 per year.

What’s in a Name? The Impact of Disasters on Islands’ Reputations: The cases of Giglio and Ustica

Disasters and their aftermath can leave an enduring, negative impact on the image of tourism destinations. This paper presents research conducted in relation to Giglio (site of the January 2011 Costa Concordia shipwreck) and Ustica (associated with the June 1980 crash of Itavia Flight 870) in order to study the impact of these two disasters on the tourism industry of these two small Italian islands. Methods employed include content analysis of articles published online and interviews with tourism stakeholders including operators, government officials and park managers. Findings suggest that disaster news coverage may initially have helped to increase the international visibility of both islands, however, even after several years, references made to the islands in the press continue to be related to such disasters. Little acknowledgement is made to the islands as tourism destinations or to the nature-based attractions that they offer. In this regard, a counter-engagement with the media and marketing efforts, including the use of social media platforms, is key to ensure that the enduring image of the islands is corrected and better reflects the characteristics of the islands.

Direct and Indirect Role of Migratory Birds in Spreading CCHFV and WNV: A Multidisciplinary Study on Three Stop-Over Islands in Italy

The annual movements of migratory birds can contribute to the spread of African ticks and tick-borne pathogens of potential public health concern across Europe. The aim of the study was to investigate their role in the possible introduction of African ticks and tick-borne pathogens into European countries during spring migration. A total of 2344 ticks were collected during three spring seasons from 1079 birds captured on three Italian stop-over islands during their northbound migration. Once identified, each tick was tested by RT-PCR for the presence of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHFV), West Nile (WNV), and Usutu (USUV) viruses. Moreover, carcasses of birds found dead were collected and tested for the possible presence of WNV and USUV. Results confirmed a higher contribution of trans-Saharan migrants compared to intra-Palearctic ones and the prevalence of African tick species in the sample. CCHFV was detected for the second time in Italy in a Hyalomma rufipes, and WNV was found in two ticks of the same genus, all carried by trans-Saharan birds. WNV lineage 1 was also found in the organs of a Garden warbler. These results confirm the role of migratory birds in carrying African ticks, as well as viruses of zoonotic importance, from Africa into Europe.

Helminth biocoenosis of Lepus europaeus meridiei (Hilzheimer, 1906) from Pianosa island, Italy.

Pianosa is a 10 km2 Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea which is part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park. In this island lives a brown hare population which, according to the literature, belongs to the ancestral taxon Lepus europaeus meridei that offers a unique opportunity to observe how the parasite biocoenosis shapes in condition of isolation, limited space availability and high population density. The aim of this work is to describe the helminth component community of a non-managed, isolated, and dense hare population, evaluating host-parasite relationship and parasite community structure. All 26 analyzed hares (13 males and 13 females) were in good physical conditions, and all of them harboured exclusively the nematode Protostrongylus oryctolagi only. This is the first report of this lungworm species in Italy. The estimated overall abundance was 48.15 worms per examined hare (range 3–258, median 50) and the parasites were unevenly distributed across host population, with few hosts having most parasites (aggregated or overdispersed distribution). No significant relationship was detected between the number of isolated parasites and hare sex and weigh. The effect of the isolation of Pianosa's hare population seems to have acted reducing parasite richness, while the high host density is probably the cause of the high prevalence and abundance of the single helminth species collected.In conclusion, despite the low impact of parasites confirmed also by the overdispersed parasite distribution, the low diversity of the studied parasite community sounds a warning for the management of the hare population and the whole Pianosa's ecosystem.

A Multidimensional Analysis of the Municipalities of the Italian Small Islands

The Italian small islands are characterized by high social and territorial distances from the mainland; however, on average, they do not seem affected by depopulation processes that, instead, characterize many other peripheral areas. On the other hand, the multifaceted nature and the tiny size of the Italian small islands call for political actions along multiple dimensions and pose unusual epistemological challenges. Against this background, a research gap is identified in the lack of a multidimensional analysis of the Italian small islands encompassing at least the main dimensions of local development. To narrow the gap, the research illustrates a multidimensional analysis based on the development of a composite index measuring the consistency of the territorial capital of the 33 insular municipalities located in the Italian small islands. The results suggest how the extreme heterogeneity of the insular municipalities and their social and economic vulnerabilities may negatively affect the digital transformation and the ecological transition of the Italian small islands. Consequently, the effectiveness of public policies may depend on the ability of policymakers to develop a transdisciplinary cognitive map of the local contexts and to codesign, with all local and external stakeholders, policies aimed at leaving (and keeping) no one behind.

Changes in Estimating the Wild Boar Carcasses Sampling Effort: Applying the EFSA ASF Exit Strategy by Means of the WBC-Counter Tool

African swine fever (ASF) is a devastating disease, resulting in the high mortality of domestic and wild pigs, spreading quickly around the world. Ensuring the prevention and early detection of the disease is even more crucial given the absence of licensed vaccines. As suggested by the European Commission, those countries which intend to provide evidence of freedom need to speed up passive surveillance of their wild boar populations. If this kind of surveillance is well-regulated in domestic pig farms, the country-specific activities to be put in place for wild populations need to be set based on wild boar density, hunting bags, the environment, and financial resources. Following the indications of the official EFSA opinion 2021, a practical interpretation of the strategy was implemented based on the failure probabilities of wrongly declaring the freedom of an area even if the disease is still present but undetected. This work aimed at providing a valid, applicative example of an exit strategy based on two different approaches: the first uses the wild boar density to estimate the number of carcasses need to complete the exit strategy, while the second estimates it from the number of wild boar hunted and tested. A practical free access tool, named WBC-Counter, was developed to automatically calculate the number of needed carcasses. The practical example was developed using the ASF data from Sardinia (Italian island). Sardinia is ASF endemic from 43 years, but the last ASFV detection dates back to 2019. The island is under consideration for ASF eradication declaration. The subsequent results provide a practical example for other countries in approaching the EFSA exit strategy in the best choices for its on-field application.

Legumes of the Sardinia Island: Knowledge on Symbiotic and Endophytic Bacteria and Interactive Software Tool for Plant Species Determination

A meta-analysis was carried out on published literature covering the topic of interactive plant microbiology for botanical species of legumes occurring within the boundary of the Italian island Sardinia, lying between the Tyrrhenian and the western Mediterranean seas. Reports were screened for the description of three types of bacterial occurrences; namely, (a) the nitrogen-fixing symbionts dwelling in root nodules; (b) other bacteria co-hosted in nodules but having the ancillary nature of endophytes; (c) other endophytes isolated from different non-nodular portions of the legume plants. For 105 plant species or subspecies, over a total of 290 valid taxonomical descriptions of bacteria belonging to either one or more of these three categories were found, yielding 85 taxa of symbionts, 142 taxa of endophytes in nodules, and 33 in other plant parts. The most frequent cases were within the Medicago, Trifolium, Lotus, Phaseolus, and Vicia genera, the majority of symbionts belonged to the Rhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, and Sinorhizobium taxa. Both nodular and extra-nodular endophytes were highly represented by Gammaproteobacteria (Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Pantoea) and Firmicutes (Bacillus, Paenibacillus), along with a surprisingly high diversity of the Actinobacteria genus Micromonospora. The most plant-promiscuous bacteria were Sinorhizobium meliloti as symbiont and Bacillus megaterium as endophyte. In addition to the microbial analyses we introduce a practical user-friendly software tool for plant taxonomy determination working in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that we have purposely elaborated for the classification of legume species of Sardinia. Its principle is based on subtractive keys that progressively filter off the plants that do not comply with the observed features, eventually leaving only the name of the specimen under examination.

Valorization of marble powder wastes using rice husk ash to yield enhanced-performance inorganic polymer cements: Phase evolution, microstructure, and micromechanics analyses

The challenge for sustainable development is now constraining scientists, and policymakers to consider alternative materials and processes requiring low energy consumption and low emissions while prioritizing local materials and industrial waste recycling. This study investigates ways to valorize marble waste powders to design a new class of inorganic polymer cement. These powders are among the most important solid wastes globally, and in the Italian island of Sardinia they create a disposal problem. When these powders, which are rich in calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) phases, are incorporated into the geopolymer synthesis, this gives rise to a mix between C–S–H and alkali metal aluminosilicate hydrate (M-A-S-H) systems that are the focus of this study. In detail, C–S–H systems are prepared with various Ca/Si ratios, including CS, C 2 S, and C 3 S. The microstructure and mechanical properties are investigated using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, along with density methods (mercury intrusion porosimetry), macroscopy mechanical testing methods (flexural strength tests) and nanoscale mechanical testing methods (indentation testing and scratch testing). The resulting inorganic polymer cements exhibit both an amorphous and a crystalline phase containing sodium-calcium-aluminum-silicate hydrate N–C-A-S-H. The fraction of the crystalline phase increases when the silica content decreases, from CS to C 3 S, and when the C–S–H fraction increases. In turn, the crystalline phase dictates the pore structure and mechanical properties. Specifically, a homogeneous and compact microstructure with low porosity is observed. The flexural strength ranges from 5.8 to 8.7 MPa, the elastic modulus ranges from 10 to 17 GPa, and the fracture toughness ranges from 0.23 to 0.48 MPa m 1/2 . In general, the lower the silica percentage of the calcium-silicate hydrates and the higher the fraction of calcium silicate hydrate are, the higher the flexural strength, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness. The underlying mechanism for the observed stiffening, strengthening, and toughening is the insertion of aluminum in the C–S–H defect sites to yield C-A-S-H, along with the formation of sodium silicate gel from excess colloidal silica, which contributes to the reduction in gel pores and matrix densification. The values of porosity, density, and mechanical properties suggest that inorganic polymer cements derived from marble wastes are promising candidates for innovative low-temperature and low-density binders with low carbon footprint satisfying both the requirements of sustainability and the local material concept. • Rice husk ash is suitable to increase the reactivity of marble powder wastes. • The marble-derived inorganic polymer cements show an enhancement in strength. • Two phases co-exist: amorphous metakaolin geopolymer and crystalline N–C-A-S-H. • The N–C-A-S-H crystalline phase content increases with the C–S–H and Ca content. • Marble derived inorganic polymer cements are promising Portland cement alternatives.

Excess Mortality on Italian Small Islands during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An Ecological Study.

Small islands have been considered at an advantage when dealing with infectious diseases, including COVID-19, but the evidence is still lacking. Crude mortality rates (CMRs) and excess mortality rates (EMRs) were calculated for 35 municipalities on the Italian small islands for 2020 and 2021, and the corresponding estimates were compared to those of the parent provinces and the national estimates. Notification rates for COVID-19 were retrieved, but detailed data at the municipality level were not available. A relatively low CMR (1.069 per 100 per year, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.983–1.164) was identified in 2020, compared to 1.180, 95% CI 1.098–1.269 for 2021. EMRs of small islands ranged between −25.6% and +15.6% in 2020, and between −13.0% and +20.9% in 2021, with an average gain of +0.3% (95% CI −5.3 to +5.8) for the entirety of the assessed timeframe, and no substantial differences between 2020 and 2021 (pooled estimates of −4.1%, 95% CI −12.3 to 4.1 vs. 4.6%, 95% CI −3.1 to 12.4; p = 0.143). When dealing with COVID-19 notification rates, during the first wave, parent provinces of Italian small islands exhibited substantially lower estimates than those at the national level. Even though subsequent stages of the pandemic (i.e., second, third, and fourth waves) saw a drastic increase in the number of confirmed cases and CMR, estimates from small islands remained generally lower than those from parent provinces and the national level. In regression analysis, notification rates and mortality in the parent provinces were the main effectors of EMRs in the small islands (β = 0.469 and β = 22.768, p < 0.001 and p = 0.007, respectively). Contrarily, the management of incident cases in hospital infrastructures and ICUs was characterized as a negative predictor for EMR (β = −11.208, p = 0.008, and −59.700, p = 0.003, respectively). In summary, the study suggests a potential role of small geographical and population size in strengthening the effect of restrictive measures toward countering the spread and mortality rate of COVID-19.

Measuring destination image of an Italian island: An analysis of online content generated by local operators and tourists

The understanding of destination image is a key point for tourism enterprises, local authorities, and policy makers. This study explores the case of Capraia, a small island located in Tuscany, to analyze how tourists (tourism demand) and local operators (tourism supply) create and communicate the island’s online image. This research quantitatively examines online communication on the two sides of the tourism market to monitor the online destination image of the island of Capraia. To build on previous research in this area, this study adopts a web content mining approach to assess the characteristics of content published online. The main dimensions of destination image (as developed in the literature) are used as a basis to create a dictionary for automated content analysis. A total of 24 tourism promotion websites and 9,180 tourist Instagram posts were analyzed. Findings reveal discrepancies between the image proposed by local operators and that perceived by tourists. Local operators mostly communicate general information to discover the destination, while tourists prioritize communication based on emotional appeal and personal experience on the island. This research aims to provide support for local operators and policy makers in decisions relating to communication and in defining the island image.

The western European hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus L. 1758 on San Pietro Island (southern Sardinia, Italy) and an updated review of its presence on the Italian small islands

The current presence and local distribution of the western European hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus L. 1758, on San Pietro Island (Southern Sardinia, Italy) are here discussed for the period 2013-2021 with a short review of the species’ occurrence on the small Italian islands. The species was found in the central-eastern sector of the island, which is characterised by a high urban and infrastructural density and an agricultural mosaic, both suitable ecological conditions favouring its presence. Most of the direct data were obtained from roadkills. Despite the elusive behaviour of the species and the consequent possible underestimation, it can be assumed that the species shows a low density. In this respect, it might be interesting to investigate whether local limiting factors, either anthropogenic or natural might act on the hedgehog population. At a larger scale, the updated review of the small Italian islands shows the presence of the species on 13 islands, of which probably only Elba, Asinara and San Pietro (all &gt;50 km2) support established populations. Further research is needed to study anthropogenic origin, history of introduction, genetics, density and medium-long-term viability of these small populations in each insular context.