Sardinia · Sassari
La Maddalena
The only inhabited town of a sixty-island granite archipelago between Sardinia and Corsica, and the place Giuseppe Garibaldi chose to die.
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Nearest hub
10,592
Population
May–Oct
Best time to visit
Recognised as
Why come
La Maddalena occupies the main island of the archipelago of the same name, sixty-two granite islands and islets in the Strait of Bonifacio between northern Sardinia and southern Corsica. The town is the only inhabited centre of the chain and the gateway to the Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago di La Maddalena, on the UNESCO tentative list since 2006. A six-hundred-metre causeway links the main island to Caprera, where Giuseppe Garibaldi settled in 1856 and lived for twenty-five years until his death in 1882. His house, the Compendio Garibaldino, is a national monument with the memorial chapel and the original rooms preserved as he left them. Admiral Horatio Nelson anchored the British Mediterranean fleet here in 1803-04 and donated a crucifix and two silver candelabra to the parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena, where they are still kept. The waters around Spargi, Budelli and Santa Maria carry the Bandiera Blu rating.
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Gallery
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Known for
Compendio Garibaldino di Caprera
Giuseppe Garibaldi's house and burial place on the island of Caprera, occupied from 1856 to his death in 1882, now a national museum with the original furnishings.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena
Parish church on Piazza Santa Maria Maddalena, holding the crucifix and silver candelabra donated by Admiral Nelson in 1804 during the British fleet's stay.
Arcipelago di La Maddalena
National park of sixty-two islands and islets, with the famous pink beach of Budelli, Spargi, Santa Maria and Razzoli, on the UNESCO tentative list.
Museo del Mare
Naval and ethnographic museum in the town centre with material from the British and Italian fleets and the maritime history of the archipelago.
Isola di Caprera
Second-largest island of the archipelago, linked to La Maddalena by the Moneta causeway, with hiking paths through holm oak and granite up to Monte Teialone.
When to visit
Best months · May–Oct
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- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
May through October is the season the archipelago opens fully: ferries from Palau every fifteen minutes, boat tours of Spargi and Budelli, the Compendio Garibaldino accessible without crowding. July and August carry the heaviest yacht traffic in northern Sardinia and the famous pink beach of Budelli is off-limits to walkers. June and late September are the best windows for swimming and beach access without the August peak. November through April the town shrinks back to its ten thousand residents, ferries reduce, half the restaurants close. The patronal feast of Santa Maria Maddalena falls on 22 July with processions through the centre.
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