The whiteness of the beaches, the clarity and colour of the sea call to mind images of Polynesia, yet the intense scent of the Mediterranean scrubland and the natural sculptures of pink granite leave no room for doubt: we are in Sardinia, in the heart of the Mediterranean. The main islands of the park, which stretch northward across the wide and evocative stretch of sea between the Strait of Bonifacio and the Costa Smeralda, are: La Maddalena, Caprera, Santo Stefano, Spargi, Budelli, Razzoli, Santa Maria, plus a myriad of islets, including Mortorio, Soffi and Nibani. Large and small islands that together form a true masterpiece of nature: rocks sculpted by the wind, beaches with brilliant white or magically pink sand, coves, deep blue waters and shallow seabeds where one can see one's own reflection as in a mirror. A submerged world inhabited by thousands of animal and plant species, period wrecks and archaeological sites of considerable interest. The La Maddalena Archipelago, characterised by turquoise water and its distinctive wind-shaped ecosystems, is an exception: it is in fact the only national park in Italy made up entirely of the territory of a single municipality.

The territory

The park covers an area, land and sea combined, of more than 12,000 hectares, with as many as 180 kilometres of coastline. It encompasses all the islands and islets belonging to the municipality of La Maddalena.

Islands steeped in history

Human settlement in the archipelago dates back to ancient times, as evidenced by the prehistoric sites of Spargi and Santo Stefano, and several writers and historical figures, including Napoleon, Admiral Nelson and Garibaldi, have left their mark here. The "Casa bianca" on Caprera is a national museum and represents one of the most evocative and significant stops along the historical journey of Italian national unification.

Exceptional biodiversity

The La Maddalena Archipelago is home to an extraordinary variety of life forms, among which more than fifty endemic species stand out. On the islands it is possible to admire over 700 types of plant species, representing around one third of Sardinian flora, including rare species of botanical interest (among them Silene velutina, Colchicum corsicum and Helicodyceros muscivorus). The vegetation is typical of the Mediterranean coastal zone: scrubland dominated by juniper, strawberry tree, phillyrea, lentisk, myrtle, heather, thorny broom, cistus and spurge. Among the birdlife that frequents the islands there are nesting colonies of very rare species such as the Cory's shearwater, the Manx shearwater, the European storm petrel and the Audouin's gull. By virtue of the value of its natural heritage, almost the entire La Maddalena Archipelago falls within the Sites of Community Importance (SCI). Several habitats are of community interest and catalogued as priority habitats, such as the wonderful underwater meadows of Neptune grass (Posidonion oceanicae).

Underwater treasures

It is above all from the standpoint of the marine environment, however, that the wealth of habitats and species reveals itself, thanks to the "obligatory passage" created by the narrows between Corsica and Sardinia. The encrusting red alga (Lithophyllum lichenoides) and the giant limpet (Patella ferruginea) are two rarities included on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, while further down the seabed extends a meadow of Posidonia oceanica, the defining feature of the archipelago's seabed. In this setting the fish fauna is also rich, and resident populations of dusky grouper, meagre and white seabream thrive.

The giants of the seas

In the waters of the Archipelago it is possible to spot large marine mammals such as fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) and sperm whales (Physeter catodon); encounters with the friendly common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) are frequent — a coastal dolphin species often spotted within the Archipelago — as are sightings of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). The park also represents an important stopover for trans-Saharan migratory birds.

Excursions in the La Maddalena Archipelago

The park, whose terrestrial landscape is characterised by the typical Mediterranean scrubland, offers numerous well-trodden and waymarked trails that run entirely on the island of Caprera. Excursions in the La Maddalena Archipelago involve modest changes in elevation and can be tackled without any particular fitness level. The best seasons for discovering the natural riches of the islands are autumn and spring.

How to reach the park

By car, you need to reach the port of Palau and then board a ferry connecting the island to Sardinia. By train, there is a line operated by FS (for those heading to Palau) with a stop at Olbia station, from which it is possible to continue by coach to Palau. Alternatively, a second line, operated by Ferrovie della Sardegna, runs a network split between trains and buses, on which — during the summer months only — it is possible to reach Palau via the Trenino Verde.