True pearl of the Mediterranean The Magdalene It is the older sister of about 60 islands and islets that make up the archipelago north-east of Sardinia, off the Gallura coast. It is the only inhabited island within the national park, with its historic town, a former Italian and American military base, which has always been an internationally popular tourist destination.

A road runs around its entire perimeter: 45 kilometers of breathtaking views. Granite and porphyry define jagged stretches, inlets, coves, and beaches, while the hinterland is made up of rolling hills. La Maddalena lends its name to the archipelago of which it is the largest island and to the national park of which it is the administrative center. 

Its strategic position in the Mediterranean has influenced its history: in 1793 the French army led by a young Corsican officer, Napoleon Bonaparte, attempted to invade it, but was stopped by the fleet commanded by the Maddalenino. Domenico Millelire. The island attracted, among others, the attention of Admiral Nelson. Today it captures the holiday desires of lovers of natural scenery of extraordinary beauty.

the long presence of the Navy is witnessed by the Nino Lamboglia Naval Museum.

Its town center is the only one in the archipelago: La Maddalena, founded in 1770, overlooks Palau, a twenty-minute ferry ride away. The cobbled streets of the center are lined with eighteenth-century buildings, such as the town hall and the parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena. In the small harbor of Cala Gavetta a column with the effigy of is erected Joseph Garibaldi, who lived the last 26 years in Caprera, united to the Magdalene by Moneta Pass and famous for the Garibaldi Museum Compendium.

A visit to La Maddalena is an endless succession of enchanting views, in a suggestive landscape that enhances the transparency of a crystalline sea, combined with the greenery of a rich and pristine vegetation to create one of the most extraordinary places in the Mediterranean. Along the road of Spreader you reach the fjord of French Cove where, among Mediterranean scrub and granite quarries, paths lead to the discovery of quiet coves and dream beaches. In the southern part, following the seafront of Marshes, we arrive at the Eagle's Nest, near the military fortress. Not far away, the other wonder of Punta Tegge. To the north, beyond the Strangolato isthmus, there are coves made of white dunes and surrounded by rocks shaped by the wind and beaches: unmissable. Lower Trinity, Cala Lunga e Arena Mountains.

From La Maddalena you can set off to discover the other islands of the park: Saint Stephen south, casings and the famous Pink Beach, Razzoli, Saint Mary e Spread north.

Worth visiting is the small, charming village of Stagnali in Caprera, where the headquarters is located environmental education and research center on cetaceans and the mineralogical and marine museums, which exhibits minerals, fossils, sands, shells, flora and fauna.