Island excursions

FOR NATURE: SPARGI

This island in the Maddalena archipelago has granite coves and dense vegetation. There’s also good diving (including a Roman wreck) and rich birdlife on the islet of Spargiotto. Take the boat from Palau or La Maddalena.

FOR THE BEACH: BUDELLI

This tiny isle is home to the striking Spiaggia Rosa, whose pink sands are created by fragments of red coral. In the past, so many tourists collected sand that the hue began to fade; now you have to follow a footpath behind the beach. Take the boat from Palau or La Maddalena.

FOR HISTORY: TAVOLARA

In the early 1800s, the Bertoleoni family declared this a separate kingdom. The cemetery contains the grave of ‘King Paolo I’. Today it’s a marine reserve popular with divers. Take the ferry from Porto San Paolo.