INSIDE THE SARDINIAN ALCATRAZ

CALA SANT’ANDREA

While you can’t actually go to the beach as access is forbidden, you can still admire its wonderful colours and do some bird watching. The bay is, in fact, home to a large colony of Corsican Seagulls.

The area between the road – there’s only one road, you don’t risk getting lost – and the beach was home to Saint Andrew’s monastery. The Benedictine monks from Pisa who built it did so by defying the powerful owners of the Castellaccio, who supported rival Genoa. Not defied is the power of time, as all that remains nowadays of the monastery is a few stones on the ground.

CALA REALE

After crossing the plane Piano degli Stretti you’ll start to see a few houses and a mooring point at the end of a lovely bay protected from Northern winds and from the open sea. That’s the little village of Royal Bay (Cala Reale in Italian).

Have a refreshment at the bar between the only hostel and the Royal Palace, now headquarters of the Ministry for the Environment.

Tour the hospital, built like the rest of the village around 1880-1890, with its beautiful cast-iron porch.

Pass by the church, once a cremator whose chimney was later elevated and adapted as bell tower.

And stop by the charnel house, which was built in 1936 on request by the Austrian government in memory of the thousands of soldiers who died here. In fact, Asinara served as a huge containment centre where more than 24 thousand ill soldiers were transferred as war prisoners during World War I, most of them Austrian.

Before leaving head for some shopping. The small but highly specialised shop FarmAsinara sells premium cosmetics and wellbeing products made with the herbs of the park. Have a peek at this link

THE PRISON OF ASINARA

The prison of Asinara was actually a farming penal colony. Just because it had wonderful beaches, the sun almost all year round and orchards for the production of organic food, it wasn’t exactly Club Fed.

In 1885 the Italian Government led by Depretis VII forcibly removed the 45 families living on the island, resorting to warships to convince the most reticent ones.

Cala Reale and Cala d’Oliva were transformed by building a large hospital, a biological laboratory, a crematory to burn ill prisoners who caught the pest, and administrative buildings.

Some of the houses of the original inhabitants became the headquarters to the prison personnel – like in Cala d’Oliva – while others became detachments of the main colony in Cala d’Olvia, where the penitentiary building was erected.

Prisoners had to work the land, tend to the animal farms, and cut trees – of which there aren’t many left, except for nice holm oaks in Elighe Mannu. So let’s jump to your question: can you visit the penitentiary? Yes, you can.

CALA D’OLIVA

Not only can you visit the penitentiary located at Olive Bay, you can even sleep in the barracks. They’re still a spartan accommodation but the establishment of a hostel has brought a few amenities, like hot water.

The penitentiary itself is renowned to all Italians for hosting Mafia bosses awaiting their judicial proceedings. Special facilities were also adapted or built for that particular purpose. It’s the case of the bunker-cell expressly made for Totò Riina called the discotheque. That’s because at night the exterior was lit up by powerful light beams that fishermen could see from miles afar. No music though.

Joining Mafia bosses in their residency at Cala d’Oliva were also judges. At least those that Mafia families wanted to get killed so as to stop ongoing processes.

In 2016 the movie It was in Summer (Era d’Estate) was shot here by director Fiorella Infascelli with the purpose of documenting the work of the two most famous Italian judges, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. In the month that they spent here, they redacted the papers for Italy’s biggest Mafia process of all times, 1985’s Il Maxiprocesso. Both were later killed in a bombing. They still had a great time on Asinara, just as you should.

CALA DEI PONZESI

Continuing along the coast north of Olive Bay you reach Sabina’s Bay and Ponzesi’s Bay. White soft sand and protected bays that are made for swimming. Yes, go right ahead – this time access to the beach is allowed.

CALA D’ARENA

A few minutes by car to the north you reach what is probably the most spectacular beach of Asinara – d’Arena Bay. Access is forbidden but even from afar you can recognise and photograph its pink sand.

PUNTA DELLA SCOMUNICA

Continuing up the road you’ll reach the highest mountain of Asinara, Excommunication Point at 408 metres above sea level. From the summit, you’ll enjoy an unmatched panorama over the whole Asinara Nationa Park.

The road will then take you back towards Olive Bay by passing through the only tree-covered area on the island, Elighe Mannu.

WHITE DONKEYS

Before leaving the island, say goodbye to the shy wild horses and the friendly white donkeys who call Asinara their home. There are about 90 of them on the island.

A legend narrates of a shipwreck at the end of 1700 that resulted in some of these peculiar animals landing on the island.

As babies, Asinara donkeys are pure white with blue eyes. They get darker with age, live together with grey donkeys and don’t particularly love to stay under direct sunlight for extended periods of time. So you’ll probably find them in the shadow of some tree or house.

Oh, they’re still wild animals, so watch out and keep your distance if they seem disturbed.