Description of the attraction
National Park "Archipelago La Maddalena" includes all the islands of the municipality of La Maddalena, as well as the waters of the international marine reserve Bocque di Bonifacio. It is the only protected area in Italy under the jurisdiction of the municipal authorities, and it is also the first nature reserve to be established in Sardinia. You can get here by ferry from nearby Palau.
The largest island in the archipelago is Isola Maddalena. Its largest city, La Maddalena, is located on it. Other smaller islands are Caprera, Sprague, Santo Stefano, Santa Maria, Budelli and Razzoli. Of all, only Maddalena, Caprera and Santo Stefano are inhabited, and only the first two have highways.
As the archipelago lies in close proximity to the famous tourist resort of Costa Smeralda, it boasts the same crystal clear waters and a coastline carved out of granite. It is a very popular holiday destination, especially among boating enthusiasts. But among other things, it is also a real paradise for wildlife lovers: numerous representatives of flora and fauna are protected here at the state level, since, as mentioned above, the archipelago is part of a national park. In 2006, La Maddalena was included in the list of applicants for the status of the World Natural Heritage by UNESCO.
The islands of the archipelago have been inhabited since prehistoric times. The Romans called them Kunicularia - in the 2-1 centuries BC. it was an important shipping area. The strategic location of La Maddalena has always attracted the attention of large neighbors - in the 13th century, control of the archipelago was the subject of a dispute between the powerful maritime republics of Pisa and Genoa. Then they were colonized by shepherds from nearby Corsica, and in the 16th century the first settlers from Sardinia settled here. Napoleon Bonaparte, Admiral Nelson and especially Giuseppe Garibaldi all had historical ties to these beautiful islands. In particular, the latter lived on Caprera from 1856 to 1882, and died there. He also planted the first pines here, which now cover the entire island. Today, Garibaldi's house has been turned into a museum, a memorial chapel in memory of the "father of Italian independence" has been built here, and the island of Caprera itself has been declared a national monument. It is connected to Maddalena Island by a 600-meter dam.
In general, Caprera is the second largest island in the archipelago. Its area is 15, 7 sq. Km, and the length of the coastline is 45 km. The name of the island probably comes from the goat population that lives here (capra in Italian). In the southwestern part of Caprera, there is a very important seaworthy area with numerous coves and anchorages. The island itself is ecologically important because of the seabirds that inhabit its shores - here you can see gulls, cormorants and peregrine falcons.
Maddalena Island - the largest in the entire archipelago - is famous for its beautiful beaches, the most popular of which are Spalmatore and Bassa Trinita. It is also notable for granite rock formations and ancient fortifications.
Until 2008, the island of Santo Stefano housed a NATO naval base on which US nuclear submarines were based. In 2003, one of these submarines ran aground during maneuvers, which became the subject of international debate. Today on the island there is a tourist resort "Club Valtur", which is especially popular in the summer months.
A small island of Budelli with an area of only 1.6 sq. Km. located a few hundred meters from the other islands of the archipelago - Razzoli and Santa Maria. But it is he who is considered one of the most beautiful in the entire Mediterranean. Especially famous is Spiadja Rosa - a pink beach located in the southeastern part of the island and got its color from microscopic particles of coral and shells.
