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Discovering
the Island
Main Attractions Edition
The first scratch map of Sardinia, you will discover 40 attractions of the Island. Each of them will make you know more local elements.
11 - S. TEODORO -
TAVOLARA
San Teodoro is a town of about 5000 inhabitants, situated in the historical region of Gallura, in the North-eastern coast of Sardinia. The actual village was born in the 17th century, when a group of transhumant shepherds and fishermen settled there and began building on the eastern slopes of Monte Nieddu. The construction of the parish church dedicated to San Teodoro (demolished and rebuilt in the 50s of the 20th century) also dates back to this period.
But the human frequentations of San Teodoro territory are much earlier. The remains of the nuraghe in the Norocheddu village date back to the Nuragic period. It is a single-tower nuraghe 7 meters high, which was well preserved until the 40s, but today you can see only a few rows of stones. There are also testimonies of an inhabited centre of Roman age, preserved in the local Museum of the Sea.
The economy of the village is based on tourism. San Teodoro, together with the naturalistic beauty of the numerous beaches (among others, La Cinta, Lu Impostu, Cala Brandinchi and s'Isuledda), offers a multitude of clubs and discos that liven up the summer nights and for this reason it is a desirable destination for younger tourists.
San Teodoro offers an excellent view of the Protected Marine Area of Tavolara and Capo Coda Cavallo. The protected area includes the islands of Tavolara, Molara, Molarotto, Proratora, Isola Piana, Isola dei Cavalli and the very small islands of Porri, Topi, Draghi and Isolotto Rosso.
With its surface area of just 5.9 square kilometers, Tavolara is the smallest kingdom in the world. The island is occupied for most of the area by a limestone and granite massif that reaches a height of 560 meters, incredibly impressive for the verticality of the cliffs, which make it attractive for hiking and climbing enthusiasts.
Tavolara remained uninhabited until the end of the 18th century, when the navigator of Corsican-Genovese origin Giuseppe Bertoleoni and his family arrived there. In 1836 the King of Sardinia, Carlo Alberto of Savoy, came to visit. After staying on the island for a week, he gave the "King of Tavolara" a gold watch and promised him the independence of the new Kingdom, even though it was never recognized as an independent state.
Around the island circulate some legends. One according to which Tavolara is the ship of the Phaeacians, petrified by Poseidon, as punishment for bringing Ulysses back to Ithaca. Then there is another legend of the goats with golden teeth, which actually owe the colour of their teeth to the helichrysum plants they eat.
A large part of the island facing the open sea was granted by Italy to NATO as military servitude.
Since 1991 Tavolara hosts, every year in July, the film festival "Una notte in Italia" (A night in Italy), which attracts thousands of enthusiasts and the most representative actors and directors of Italian cinema to the island.
