Stintino and Asinara, La Pelosa beach by appointment and an island that was a prison.

What are Stintino and Asinara?

Stintino is a fishing village on the north-west tip of Sardinia, on a narrow peninsula between two seas. It was founded in 1885 by the 45 families who lived at Cala d'Oliva on Asinara, when the Kingdom of Italy expelled them from the island to set up a quarantine station and a penal colony. It lived off tuna fishing at the Saline tonnara, which worked until the 1970s, and today it lives off tourism: it has about 1,600 residents in winter and tens of thousands of visitors in summer.

At the end of the peninsula is La Pelosa, a beach of pale sand and shallow turquoise water, with a 1578 tower on an islet and the island of Piana in front. Beyond it, a few minutes away by boat, is Asinara: more than 50 km² of island, 110 km of coastline, no living villages, a former maximum-security prison, goats, mouflon and white donkeys. It has been a national park since 1997 and entry is free, but you can only get there by boat and private cars cannot be landed.

How do you get there from Spain?

Direct flights from Spain to Sardinia land at Olbia (OLB), from Barcelona, and Cagliari (CAG), from Barcelona and Seville. Alghero (AHO) airport is about 50 km from Stintino, but it has no direct flight from Spain: if you use it, you will have a connection. From Olbia it is about two hours by car to Stintino (146 km) and from Cagliari about three and a half hours (256 km); these are estimated times, without stops. Hire a car at the airport: there is no other practical way of getting around the area.

If you travel by ferry with your car, Grimaldi Lines links Barcelona with Porto Torres, half an hour from Stintino.

La Pelosa, by reservation

From 15 May to 15 October only 1,500 people a day are allowed in, with a reservation and a fee of €3.50 per person on the official booking website. Children under 12 do not need to book. Your QR code is checked from 8:00 to 18:00, at the entrance or on the walkways. A mat under your towel is compulsory, smoking is not allowed, dogs cannot come in and you cannot take sand away. We explain it all in the beach guide. If you cannot get a place, Le Saline is a long beach with no quota, a few kilometres to the south.

Asinara: how do you visit it?

There are three ways, and all of them need planning:

By boat from Stintino with an operator. This is the most comfortable option. With Gite Asinara, for example, you can take a day on a sailing ship with lunch on board and swims in the coves, from €95, or a 4x4 minibus tour on land, from €60 plus the boat and the fee.

On your own from Porto Torres. The public Ensamar ferry goes to Cala Reale; the return costs €15 or €18 depending on the season, and a bike costs €6 or €7. Once there you get around on foot or by bike along the park's tracks.

With a guide. The park publishes a list of authorised guides and operators, and recommends going with them.

On the island you pay a municipal landing tax: €2.50 from October to May and €5 from June to September. Smoking is not allowed except in the paved areas of Fornelli, Cala Reale and Cala d'Oliva, you must not disturb the animals and you must not take anything away. Pets cannot land from the Porto Torres ferry.

What else is there in Stintino?

The Tonnara Museum tells the story of the tuna fishing that gave life to the village, with one room for each chamber of the net. North of La Pelosa, the tower at Capo Falcone stands about 200 m above the sea, with a view over the beach and Asinara. And the old and new harbours, on either side of the village, are where everyone strolls in the evening.