The Island of the Maddalena (Maddalena Island)

Member Name: aoife74

Product:	Maddalena Island
Date:	24/05/06 (859 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful location

Disadvantages: There is obviously very little respect for nature

When we went to Sardinia, we decided to start by heading north to the Island of the Maddalena for a few days. The Maddalena is the only inhabited island in the archipelago which consists of 7 islands and about 20 islets. It is off the North-East coast of Sardinia, in the Straits of Bonifacio.

It was September so there were few tourists around – the odd German or Brit and few Italians.
The best time to visit Sardinia is in May, June or September. In July and August the place is run over by the Italians themselves.

We found it difficult enough to find a campsite – there was one in the town which from the outside looked like a refugee camp (now we could have been wrong!) and another on the other side of the island which was practically on the beach. It was nice even if the facilities were scarce – not really unusual in Italian campsites. We usually camp so we’re fairly used to the Turkish loo – horrible hole in the floor job – that can be found quite frequently. Here we didn’t have to suffer because there were actually toilet bowls but they were in a raised prefab. Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of the famous Sardinian Maestrale wind…? Well, it felt like you were going to take off at any second!

The sea around the island is absolutely gorgeous – wild and blue. The island itself is extraordinary. It’s still quite wild and untouched by industry. But it was dirty. I was so disappointed. Rubbish on the side of the road isn’t such an unusual thing to see but this was a bit excessive. It wasn’t strange to see a rusty old washing machine parked on the side of the road either. It’s a National Park, protected by the State … well I think they’ve forgotten it exists!
The beaches nearest the towns were just filthy.
Now it may be because the summer peak season had just finished and things were still getting back to normal and they still had to do their spring cleaning, could be. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s a beautiful place nonetheless.

It’s still possible to find corners of the island that are uncontaminated and beautiful, white beaches so hidden that they’re deserted.

Connected to the island of the Maddalena is the island of Caprera – you can’t drive on to the island until after 8pm. Caprera is wildly beautiful, covered in trees with a few seemingly forgotten beaches.
On the island of Caprera is Giuseppe Garibaldi's (1807-1882) house and grave. Garibaldi was an Italian liberator and hero. He devoted his life to liberating and unifying Italy. In 1860, with 1070 volunteers, he overthrew the main cities in the south of Italy and even forced the capitulation of an army of 20,000. His march became famous for his genius at overcoming huge odds and as a consequence the unification of Italy came about.
Garibaldi’s beautiful villa is set on a hill and... surrounded by stray cats. When you arrive in the parking lot the smell is unbelievable – cats. The scenery is even more amazing – rubbish and cats looking out from every nook and cranny. Even as we stood there staring, a woman arrived in a car, got out and from a plastic bag took out 2 plastic plates, a plastic fork, a little bottle of water and a few cans of cat food. She filled the plates with water and food. Then she threw all the rubbish – plates, fork, bottle, bag and cans on the side of the road, got back in to the car and drove away.

It’s amazing isn’t it? Well, it’s not over yet! The island of Caprera is also known for its wild pigs. Lovely idea isn’t it? Well while we were staring at the rubbish left by the cat woman, another car arrived. A man got out and hoisted out a big plastic tub. He started making strange noises and from the side of a small building, a load of wild pigs emerged. Lovely, eh? Oh yes the huge ones with long tusks were definitely lovely. I’m sure they’re distantly related to the rhino… So this man emptied his tub – meat, he was probably a butcher. The thing is that they eat a lot of pork in Italy. Apart from the fact that I’m not sure if wild pigs are carnivorous or not, they were probably eating pork – I found that one difficult to get over.
When the pigs had gone, looking at the smelly, greasy mess left behind, the only consolation was that at least the man brought his big plastic tub with him.

Another thing I found difficult to get my head around was that in a place that should be a natural paradise, there is a huge American military base where they keep nuclear arms. The Italians themselves are extremely opposed to this base.

There are various boat trips offered around the archipelago well worth taking as, from the sea this place can be truly appreciated for its real, sorely abused beauty. You’d think I would recommend people not to go there, wouldn’t you? Well actually I do recommend people to go there because it is truly a spectacular place and the locals are extremely hospitable. We had wanted to go there were 3 or 4 days but after 2 we’d seen all there was to see. So if you’re staying in the north of Sardinia then its worth going there for a day trip or even a night and look at what the island is underneath man’s obviously uncontrolled touch. Take away the human aspect and it truly is a paradise albeit, on the surface a sad one.

HOW TO GET THERE
There are 3 international airports – Cagliari, Alghero and Olbia, Olbia being the nearest.

Summary: Nice for a short visit. Pity about the rubbish.