Spargi: a dream island

Queen Soraya fell in love with it, pirates have made it their lair, an ancient wreck lies in its depths. Uninhabited, facing the Resort Valle dell’Erica, Spargi looks like the enchanted island dreamt of by children of all ages.

A natural paradise rich in history and stories that have made it famous over the centuries, offering delightful little sandy coves and rugged wild coasts, underwater worlds to explore and rare animal species that have chosen it as their home. Spargi, with its approximately four square kilometres is the third largest island of the La Maddalena Archipelago, a pearl of rare beauty with its Spargiotto island and its Spargiottello rock.

In short, there is lots to discover on Spargi: to reach it, choose one of the excursions that leave from the resort and spend unforgettable days relaxing among the most beautiful bays on the island, looking out over views that you will find it hard to forget.

Spargi: beaches and other natural wonders

An inland area rich in typical Mediterranean vegetation which runs along the shoreline and then turns into white sand dunes and natural sculptures to let the imagination run riot such as the Cane Bulldog and the Witch’s Head, granite rocks sculpted over time by the force of the wind.

No photos can do justice to the translucent colours of the sand and the transparency of the water as you land in Cala Soraya, the favourite beach of the Queen of Persia, or in the romantic Cala Conneri, not to mention the beautiful Cala Corsara or Cala Granara, all on the South-east coast of the island.

Spargi is also the home of rare animal species, plants and highly fragrant flowers. Sinuous Phoenician junipers can be found among holm oaks, wild olives and strawberry trees, while the most romantic will be enchanted by colourful sea roses, tree heather and maritime lilies that stand out against the pure white sand dunes.

For ornithologists, certain rare birds nest on a small island close to Spargi known as Spargiotto. These include the Corsican gull, the only bird endemic to the Mediterranean, but also crested cormorants and storm petrels.

The best diving spots near Spargi

Diving enthusiasts will feel they are in their natural habitat in the dive sites surrounding Spargi:

the Washington shoal near Punta Zanotto, characterized by huge granite boulders, tafoni and abysses where groupers, bream and barracudas make their way between red gorgonians or sea fans.
the Spargi wreck, a cargo ship from the 2nd century BC found in the shallows of Cala Corsara. When it was discovered, it was carrying a load of enormous value, including Roman amphorae and other precious objects.
near the Spargiottello rock there is another interesting diving spot, a sand gully that cuts the rock in two to open walls full of life and colours.

The history of Spargi

Now you know what to look for, we’ll tell you a few curious facts about some of the people who loved and lived on the island.

As well as the Romans, pirates crossed the waters to Spargi. It is certainly no coincidence that Cala Corsara is so called, in fact it seems that its name is due to the den of pirates who frequented the cove and its four “Caribbean” beaches.

At the end of the 19th century, a supposed bandit named Nino Berretta hid out in the midst of the wild and inaccessible natural vegetation of the interior and brought his whole family to stay there when his innocence was proven.

If the queen of Persia, the beautiful Soraya, fell in love with the colours of Cala Soraya, a slightly less credible noble decided to find accommodation on the island. In fact, Giovanni Catogno, known as Rampazzo, settled in the military fort of Cala Corsara. A character straight out of folklore, he proclaimed himself Count of Spargi.