Stanley Tucci Dines at a King's Restaurant | Tucci in Italy | National Geographic

Off the coast of Sardinia lies Tavolara, supposedly the world's smallest kingdom, home to only eleven residents and its 92-year-old king, Tonino Bertoleoni, who runs a seafront restaurant. His family has claimed the island since 1836, when his great-great-grandfather, Giuseppe Bertoleoni, settled there. Giuseppe's reign began after an encounter with King Charles Albert of Savoy. When Giuseppe joked he was the King of Tavolara, Charles Albert, amused, officially named him "King of Tavolara" in writing. Despite Sardinia being absorbed into Italy in the 1860s, Tavolara maintained independence, producing five more kings and two queens. Tonino is the living legacy of this two-hundred-year-old fairytale. The family restaurant, Da Tonino, serves seafood, where they gather for royal banquets. A prized possession is a photograph Queen Victoria had in Buckingham Palace, titled "The smallest kingdom in the world, Tavolara Island," proving their lineage was once respected globally. In 1946, Italy abolished its monarchy, ending Tavolara's official royal recognition and independence. Despite this, Tonino remains the beloved ruler of this "kingdom," a testament to Sardinia's unique traditions.