Known for
GARIBALDI
Giuseppe Garibaldi lived on Caprera from 1856 to 1882, retreated here between campaigns, and is buried at the Compendio Garibaldino on the island.
ARCHIPELAGO
Sixty-two granite islands and islets in the Strait of Bonifacio, national park since 1994, on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list since 2006.
NELSON'S BASE
Admiral Horatio Nelson anchored the British Mediterranean fleet here in 1803-04, donated objects still kept in the parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena.
When to visit
Best · May–Oct
- J14°
- F15°
- M15°
- A17°
- M21°
- J27°
- J31°
- A30°
- S26°
- O23°
- N18°
- D15°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 27° and coldest in February at 14°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
La Maddalena occupies the main island of the archipelago of the same name, sixty-two granite islands and islets in the Strait of Bonifacio between northern Sardinia and southern Corsica. The town is the only inhabited centre of the chain and the gateway to the Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago di La Maddalena, on the UNESCO tentative list since 2006. A six-hundred-metre causeway links the main island to Caprera, where Giuseppe Garibaldi settled in 1856 and lived for twenty-five years until his death in 1882.
His house, the Compendio Garibaldino, is a national monument with the memorial chapel and the original rooms preserved as he left them. Admiral Horatio Nelson anchored the British Mediterranean fleet here in 1803-04 and donated a crucifix and two silver candelabra to the parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena, where they are still kept. The waters around Spargi, Budelli and Santa Maria carry the Bandiera Blu rating.
The Sunday letter
La Maddalena is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when La Maddalena comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
La Maddalena in our articles
The best beach towns in Sardegna7 towns, La Maddalena among them.
The best coastal towns in the province of Sassari7 towns, La Maddalena among them.
The prettiest villages in Sardegna8 towns, La Maddalena among them.
Alternatives to Capri: every island town in Italy, in one list16 towns, La Maddalena among them.
How to get there
La Maddalena is on an island and is reached by ferry.
What to see
Compendio Garibaldino di Caprera
Giuseppe Garibaldi's house and burial place on the island of Caprera, occupied from 1856 to his death in 1882, now a national museum with the original furnishings.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena
Parish church on Piazza Santa Maria Maddalena, holding the crucifix and silver candelabra donated by Admiral Nelson in 1804 during the British fleet's stay.
Arcipelago di La Maddalena
National park of sixty-two islands and islets, with the famous pink beach of Budelli, Spargi, Santa Maria and Razzoli, on the UNESCO tentative list.
Museo del Mare
Naval and ethnographic museum in the town centre with material from the British and Italian fleets and the maritime history of the archipelago.
Isola di Caprera
Second-largest island of the archipelago, linked to La Maddalena by the Moneta causeway, with hiking paths through holm oak and granite up to Monte Teialone.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where La Maddalena fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
Living here
- Population 10,592
- Remotei
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Regional capital Cagliari, 24 h 21 min drive
Common questions
- What is La Maddalena known for?
- La Maddalena is the only inhabited town of a sixty-island granite archipelago between Sardinia and Corsica, and the place Giuseppe Garibaldi chose to die.
- Where is La Maddalena?
- La Maddalena is a comune in the province of Sassari, in Sardinia, at 19 meters above sea level.
- How do you get to La Maddalena?
- La Maddalena is on an island and is reached by ferry.
- When is the best time to visit La Maddalena?
- Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
- Which other towns are like La Maddalena?
- Carloforte, Procida and Lipari.
- How many people live in La Maddalena?
- 10,592 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
The numbers
- Elevation: 19 m
- Population: 10,592
- Surface area: 52.01 km²
On the map
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Similar
Towns like La Maddalena
Carloforte
Province: Sud Sardegna
both on the Sardinian coast · both near sea level
Procida
Province: Napoli
both over 10,000 people · both near sea level
Lipari
Province: Messina
both over 10,000 people · both near sea level
Forio
Province: Napoli
both over 10,000 people · both near sea level
Tortolì
Province: Nuoro
both on the Sardinian coast · both over 10,000 people
Oristano
Province: Oristano
both on the Sardinian coast · both over 10,000 people
🎨 Borghi più belli d'Italia
More Borghi più belli d'Italia towns in Sardinia
Atzara
Province: Nuoro
A Mandrolisai wine village on the western Gennargentu, painted in the early twentieth century by Spanish costumbristas and the Sardinian Scuola di Atzara.
Bosa
Province: Oristano
A colour-washed riverside town on Sardinia's only navigable river, with a Malaspina castle on the hill and the tanneries of Sas Conzas along the Temo.
Carloforte
Province: Sud Sardegna
A Ligurian-speaking fishing town on the Isola di San Pietro, founded in 1738 by coral fishers returning from Tunisian Tabarka.
Castelsardo
Province: Sassari
A Doria sea fortress at 114 meters above the Gulf of Asinara, Genoese from 1100, Aragonese from 1448, Savoyard from the 1700s.
Posada
Province: Nuoro
The capital of the Baronia, a 3,000-person village on a 71-meter rock with a 13th-century tower over the valley.