
The marine park of Tavolara and Punta Coda Cavallo created on 22 September 1997 by order of the Environment minister Edo Ronchi is one of the most interesting protected natural areas in the Mediterranean.
The extraordinary beauty of its setting, celebrated and appreciated by both Italian and foreign visitors, is enhanced by the features of its rocks, biology and nature, which, with its equally important historical-cultural aspects, make this corner of Sardinia a happy marriage of nature and culture.
Between the furthermost limits of the park, made up in the north of Cape Ceraso and in the south L’Isuledda point, the countryside alternates between solitary bays, variegated cliffs and stunning promontories.
Near San Teodoro they give way to the great crescent-shaped expanse of ‘la Cinta’, which, with its white sands and its long ridge of sand dunes, is the queen of the beaches in the area. Behind the dunes are the calm waters of the great lagoon, an ecosystem of great zoological and botanical interest.Tavolara island, called ‘Hermaea’ by the Romans in honour of the god of trade and sailors, with its sun-baked white limestone rocks, its sharp cliffs and secret caves, rises majestically out of the water. Circumnavigating the island is an unforgettable experience. It’s huge cliffs sculptured by time, the amazing limestone arch, the Pope’s cave, once a refuge for monk seals and the Pope’s Point, a singularly impressive limestone monolith rising steeply, high out of the sea.The nearby island of Molara is completely different from Tavolara, partly because of its gentler and more rounded form and partly because of its geology, being made of pink granite from the later Palaeozoic period. Apart from its natural features the island also has many interesting historical memories among which are the evocative remains of the medieval village of Gurgurai and the ruins of the Romanesque chapel dedicated to Saint Ponziano.