Capo Figari & Figarolo Island 0 Comments

Golfo Aranci is not only famous for its stunning beaches and pristine seawater. This tiny fishermen village has a lot more to offer.

Trekking through the beautiful Mediterranean scrub is a valid alternative way to spend a cloudy day as well as a mild day of mid-season.

The most striking path is probably toward the promontory of Capo Figari. It’s a natural reserve covered in juniper trees and holm oak, where is not uncommon to meet wild mouflons and peregrine falcons. 

Once you reach the 342 mt promontory’s peak, the panorama in front of you is just astonishing. From there, one can enjoy the beautiful view of the Gulf over Olbia and its coasts with crystalline waters and wild cliffs. 

In 1932, Guglielmo Marconi (Italian inventor and electrical engineer known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system) based his observatory right on the top of Capo Figari. From there, he inaugurated the first radio link over water between Sardinia and Rocca di Papa, near Rome. 

What is left of the observatory building is open and can be visited freely, called by the locals "Il Semaforo di Marconi". It was formerly used as a military fortress and designed to accommodate the “Marina Militare” noncommissioned officers. 

The well-maintained path to get there, that will get you on the top of Capo Figari in about an hour, is a bit steep but easy to access and definitely rewarding. 

In front of the promontory lies the Island of Figarolo, a tiny and steep island 139 meters above sea level that strongly characterizes Golfo Aranci's landscape and is mainly made of limestone rock that lies on an undersea granite base, very similar to Tavolara Island. Same as Tavolara and Molara, Figarolo can only be reached by boat.

A wreck of an old merchant ship, that sank in the second half of 1900, can be visited with the help of the experienced guides of the local diving centres.

Trekking in Capo Figari is not just an excursion, but a real emotional experience, impossible to forget. Ask the Concierge at Gabbiano Azzurro Hotel & Suites for the map with all the signed hiking paths available to visit the natural reserve of Golfo Aranci's promontory.

--

written by Daniela Toti