This is the image of Paradise that Michelangelo Antonioni had in his mind in '64 in a long sequence from the film Deserto Rosso.

It was the very famous Pink Beach of the Budelli island in the Archipelago of the Maddalena. A creek that can be reached only by boat and which has now lost its pink hue(an effect of the high presence of miniacina miniacea) owing to the repeated invasions of the various sand robbers that have enclosed the precious grains in transparent bottles to be kept at home, above the TV.

Today the Pink Beach is closed, it has become unapproachable to enable bioclasts to form again and grant that inlet the hue it once had. This initiative is from the Ente Parco Nazionale of the Archipelago of the Maddalena, which has become a protected area since 1994. The National Park includes 5.134 hectares on land 15.064 at sea, among which the islands of Caprera, Santo Stefano, Spargi, Budelli, Razzoli, Santa Maria plus a number of little islands scattered here and there in this Mediterranean strip.

One of the next projects is that of internationalising the park reaching also part of Corsica, starting from the Bocche di Bonifacio, the islands of Lavezzi and Cavallo.

The Archipelago of the Maddalena retains a very special flora compared to the rest of Sardinia; the airy climate and the movement of the waves make the vegetation richer and full of chromatic changes. In the areas that are exposed to the wind, thorny and aromatic bushes grow such as the cistus, the euphorbia, the juniper, the broom and the lentisk, whereas in the most sheltered places you can smell more common plants such as the strawberry tree, heather or lichen. Only the island of Caprera has a woody territory, with pine and ilex groves from which long rough paths start, leading till the sea.

The underwater of the National Park are also influenced by the strong winds on the Archipelago, crossing over with currents form the Bocche di Bonifacio. The mixing in of surface waters with the deeper ones favours different habitats. Among these there is the one that hosts the seasonal passage of cetaceans, Northwest of the Maddalena, on the other hand, morays splash about and in Budelli the red horny corals swim cover with a thick pattern rocky walls with bright yellow of sea daisies.
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The Ente Parco Nazionale of the Archipelago of the Maddalena, during the whole year, engages in environmental protection, the use with awareness of the territory with summer regulation of the protected areas, environmental education and scientific research. The most difficult challenge is that of preventing building abuse.

Caprera Sailing Centre

Sardinia Region

Museums at La Maddalena

Caprera Island

Consortium of the Bocche S. Teresa di Gallura