A stopover in a preserved natural setting at the tip of Sardinia
The island of Asinara is located at the northwestern tip of Sardinia. It is 45 nautical miles from Bonifacio and 55 nautical miles from Ajaccio. Although it is further from Corsica than the Maddalena archipelago, it offers a less touristic and wilder objective to yachtsmen seeking a change of scenery in Italy.
The national park covers the entire island, covering an area of more than 50 km², including a marine nature reserve. On the western coast, open to storms and its rocky cliffs, are the beaches and the lower coast of the eastern coast. Islands and small coves give a varied charm to this very preserved nature.
The flora is mainly composed of shrubs and low plants. Fragile, like the ancusa that keeps the sand on San Andrea beach, forbidden to the public, it is exploited in a rational way by the Farmasinara cooperative that produces cosmetics. A nesting ground for rare species such as the Corsican gull, the island hosts a monitoring centre for migratory birds. To complete the picture, many animals live in freedom: sheep, sheep, moufflons, donkeys, but also more than 190 Sardinian Anglo-Arab horses. To manage the livestock, the park gives the foals to the volunteers.
Asinara: from Italian Alcatraz to National Park
If the name Asinara does not evoke anything for farnese sailors, it is famous for all Italians. The island, which housed a castle of the pirate Barbarossa, was inhabited by only a few hundred fishermen and herders when the Italian state decided to dislodge them to create a prison in 1885. The agricultural prison colony of Asinara then grew as buildings were built throughout the island. Welcoming Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war during the First World War, it also served as a quarantine ground. It was in the 1970s that she became famous for welcoming terrorists of the leaden years to her high-security neighbourhood. The latter resumed service in the 1990s, welcoming the most famous mafia members in Italy, including the famous Toto Riina. It was also on the island closest to his future murderers that Judge Falcone was "taken to safety" before the maxi-trial against the mafia. The red house that welcomed him is now in ruins... When the prison closed in 1998 to create Asinara National Park, only one prisoner managed to escape in over 100 years. For lovers of prison tourism, the main prison can be visited with the island's guides.
The practical Asinara for boaters
Access by boat to Asinara National Park is mandatory by reservation. This can be done online. Boaters can only park in the 5 yellow buoy parks, 3 of which are reserved for sailboats. 63 buoys are available. (The other colours are dedicated to tourism professionals and the various institutions present in the park). Anchoring on anchors is prohibited.
Navigation outside the prohibited area may only be carried out under sail, except in the buoy access channels. Fishing is of course prohibited.
The main anchorage of Cala Reale has 26 buoys and 14 pontoon spaces for boats up to 14 metres long and 7 metres draught. It offers the services of a port with access to water, electricity and wifi.
The daily rate is 3?/m for sailboats and 4?/m for motorboats, plus 10?/night for places on the pontoon.
Travel on the island can be done on foot, respecting prohibited areas or by renting vehicles or electric bicycles.
The nearest urban port is Stintino, 6 miles away, the village founded by fishermen who were excluded when the prison was founded. The latter, a major centre of tuna fishing, hosts a pretty fleet of traditional Latin sailing boats and a museum dedicated to tuna fishing. Shuttles take tourists to the island from Stintino. Those who wish can sleep in one of the 6 rooms of the island's only Bed and Breakfast, managed by Blumare Service.
