Overland excursion in Asinara – the experience known as the 4×4 tour

Fornelli: at the time of its establishment (1885) it was an agricultural penal colony and housed prisoners under a semi-open regime. After the 1970s it became a maximum-security prison and, following the new prison regulations, it held leading members of the terrorist group Brigate Rosse and of the Anonima Sequestri Sarda.
Closed in the 1980s, it was reopened as a maximum-security prison in 1992 to host major figures of organised crime, following Art. 41-bis, and was definitively closed with the establishment of the Park in 1997.

Cala Sant’Andrea: the beach is surrounded by sandy dunes where Phoenician junipers and sea lilies grow. A brackish pond lies behind the strip of sand, fed by water from a local stream at Sant’Andrea. Dense tamarisk vegetation grows alongside climbing plants that provide shade to marsh plants. The flora and fauna of this sandy-dune and lagoon ecosystem are extremely rich and require high protection. Since one of the goals of a Natural Park is to offer visitors the greatest number of unspoilt natural landscapes, the bay of Cala Sant’Andrea has been designated Zone A, under full protection with a total ban on access.

Cala di Sgombro di Dentro: a cove characterised by granite islets populated during the breeding season by dense colonies of Yellow-legged Gulls and European Shags, also included in Zone A.

Punta Sa Nave: an area of notable naturalistic interest, as it is easy to observe along the high, rugged cliffs the very particular paleo-endemism Centaurea horrida (spiny cornflower). It is a sort of living fossil; the plant forms cushions with a distinctive ash-grey colour, giving a unique character to Asinara’s coastal garrigue landscape.

Cala Reale: Law no. 3,183 of 28 June 1885 authorised the expropriation of Asinara to establish an agricultural colony and a quarantine station (lazzaretto). The buildings in the area housed disinfection facilities, groups of buildings (the so-called “periods”) for the different phases of quarantine, accommodation for health staff, and warehouses.
The buildings were expanded in 1915–1916 to host Austro-Hungarian prisoners handed over by the Serbs to the Italian allies and deported from Albania to Asinara due to a severe cholera epidemic—many of whom were saved thanks to the efforts of the Italian army.

Cala d’Oliva: an old fishing village founded by fishermen from Camogli in the late 1700s. It appears almost suddenly to visitors approaching Asinara, like a tiny coastal settlement, characterised by the white colour of its houses.
The village is made up of low buildings in the older part closest to the sea, while the upper area bears evidence of the main activities linked to prison life, such as the Director’s House, the former Officers’ Barracks, the Park’s guesthouse, the Bunker and the building of the former Central Prison Branch, now the Environmental Education Centre, the mechanical workshops, the former dairy, etc.

Cala Sabina: a stunning bay known for its crystal-clear waters and fine white sand. Surrounded by lush Mediterranean vegetation, Cala Sabina is the final stop of our overland tour in a Mercedes Vito van, where our guests can enjoy this breathtaking scenery with a 2-hour swim in its clear, turquoise waters.