Asinara

Asinara held a quarantine station from 1885 and then a prison, which meant the island was closed to outsiders for more than a century; the effect was that fifty-two square kilometres of coast were never built on. The prison closed in 1998 and the island became a national park. Its emblem is a population of small white albino donkeys, found only here, alongside mouflon and wild boar. Prison buildings remain across the island in various states. Access is regulated: private boats and cars are not allowed, and visits are by organised boat with jeep, bicycle or guided walking on set routes.

Background

From end to end the island runs 17.4 kilometres. At its narrowest, at Cala di Sgombro, it is 290 metres across, widening to 6.4 kilometres in the north. Four mountainous blocks are linked by a low, narrow strip along the coast. Steep rocky shores face west, while the east is broad and level, rising no higher than 50 metres, and holds all three sandy beaches. Punta della Scomunica is the summit at 408 metres. Over 80 percent of the island is metamorphic rock, including black Hercynean amphibolites 950 million years in age, which are the oldest rocks in Italy. In 1885 it passed to the state, and about 100 farming and fishing families moved to Sardinia and founded Stintino.

Source: Wikipedia, "Asinara"

What's there

• The white donkeys - an albino population found only on this island.
• The prison buildings - abandoned facilities across the island.
• The undeveloped coast - fifty-two square kilometres never built on.
• The regulated visits - jeep, bicycle or walking on set routes.

When to go

May to September; boats run in season and are cancelled in rough weather. Numbers and routes are controlled and booking is necessary.

Things to know

No private cars or boats are permitted and everything is on organised transport. Some zones are closed entirely. There is little shade and few facilities.

Nearby

Stintino and La Pelosa beach lie opposite; Castelsardo is east.

Key facts