Tabarca settled here. The islet was renamed Nova Tabarca ("New Tabarca" in both Valencian and Latin). Thus a settlement was created by royal edict on this uninhabited island which the North African corsaries had previously used as a platform for raids on the Levantine coast. On their arrival, the Genoese were first moved to Alicante, where they lived temporarily in the Jesuit School, empty after the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain. Finally, the Genoese were moved to the island together with a Spanish garrison. The military engineer Fernando Méndez Ras planned a fortified town and walls, bulwarks, warehouses and barracks
La Gomera have farmed the lower levels by channelling runoff water to irrigate their vineyards, orchards and banana groves. The official natural symbols associated with La Gomera are "Columba junoniae" (Paloma rabiche) and "Persea indica" (Viñátigo). The local wine is distinctive and often accompanied with a "tapa" (snack) of local cheese, roasted pork, or goat meat. Other culinary specialities include almogrote, a cheese spread, miel de palma, a syrup extracted from palm trees, and "escaldón", a porridge made with gofio flour. The inhabitants of La Gomera have an ancient way of communicating across deep ravines by means of a whistled speech called