Island of Caprera

The island of Caprera is entirely included in the National Park Archipelago of La Maddalena, a protected marine and terrestrial area of national and community interest. It presents a jagged and rough coastline. The eastern part of the coast is particularly difficult to reach because it is screened by a small chain of pink granite. The coastal area of the eastern side is very steep, covered in part by junipers, mastic trees and other examples typical of the Mediterranean. Towards the west the slope gives way to flat expanses, also of Mediterranean maquis, where there is also a large pine forest. The wild and immaculate nature of the island has determined, in 1982, the declaration of Natural Reserve, followed by its inclusion in the National Park of La Maddalena. The particular naturalistic and environmental value has meant that most of the eastern coastal stretch, the so-called zone A, is under a regime of integral protection that prohibits the practice of fishing in front of Cala Coticcio. This prohibition also concerns the marine area east of Punta Rossa and Isola Pecora. In winter the area can still be explored by car, but in summer it is forbidden to pass through it without an authorization granted by the Municipality and by the Park Authority. The island of Caprera, as well as for its natural beauty, is known because it preserves the memory of the twenty-six years that Giuseppe Garibaldi decided to spend there: to visit the Compendio Garibaldi with the tomb and the Casa Bianca, his residence until his death. The island is also home to a sailing school: the Caprera sailing center.