A Walk Round La Maddalena's Old Town and Cala Gavetta

La Maddalena is a small, young town: it was founded in 1770 and was for a long time a base of the Italian navy. The walk starts at the quay where the ferry arrives and takes a morning or the end of the afternoon, when the excursion boats empty.

The route

From the ferry quay walk towards Cala Gavetta, the small harbour of boats and sailing yachts, in the heart of the old town. In the square stands a column with the effigy of Giuseppe Garibaldi, who lived and is buried on neighbouring Caprera. Behind it begin the cobbled alleys with 18th-century houses, shops, bars and restaurants.

Climb to the church of Santa Maria Maddalena, the parish church that gives the island its name, and pass the town hall, another of the 18th-century buildings. In the centre they remember the episode the town is proudest of: in 1793 a French force including a young Napoleon Bonaparte tried to take the island and was repelled by a fleet commanded by Domenico Millelire, born in La Maddalena.

If you have time left

The Museo Navale Nino Lamboglia tells the island's seafaring history and holds part of the cargo of a Roman merchant ship of the 2nd century BC sunk off Spargi, found in 1939. Confirm the hours before going, because we have not been able to check them.

When to go

Early in the morning, before the excursion boats arrive from Palau, or from six in the evening, when the harbour fills with people going out to dinner. In summer, shade is in the narrow streets, not on the quay.