It is arch-shaped, set in an enchanting bay surrounded by thick Mediterranean greenery. The whiteness of its beach is almost blinding and contrasts with the vivid colours of the sea, reflecting shades of emerald green, blue and turquoise. To the side, a few steps from the shore, lies the ‘landlord’, the skeleton of a motorsailer that ran ashore in 1955. The Spiaggia del Relitto (Beach of the Shipwreck) occupies an eastern coastal stretch of the promontory of Punta Rossa, south-east of Caprera, the second largest island in the National Park of the Maddalena Archipelago.

The Blue Flag has been flying here for years, because of the clearness of the water and environmental sustainability. The surrounding landscape is wild and uncontaminated, enclosed by rugged and ‘protective’ rocky cliffs. The water is transparent, with a sandy seabed, and is shallow near the shoreline, then sloping gently away from the shore. The outline of the Isola della Pecora (Sheep Island) in front of the beach is dominant: the stretch of sea between the beach and the islet falls within the integral reserve area of the park and, therefore, navigation, mooring, fishing and scuba diving are forbidden.

The wreck has been occupying the beach since the afternoon of 22 June 1955, when a fire broke out on board the motorsailer Trebbo, which was headed for Cagliari, carrying a load of coal. The impossibility of putting out the fire led to the decision to run the vessel ashore at the safest point, which was west of Isola della Pecora. You can visit the ‘shipwreck’ by car, by driving over the bridge connecting La Maddalena and Caprera, alongside the island in a southerly direction. After passing the village of Stagnali, you will cross the isthmus that leads to the promontory of Punta Rossa. Continuing east along a scenic dirt road set in the scrub, you will come to a car park, about 250 metres from the beach. On both sides of the strip of land that connects the southern extremity of Caprera, there are enchanting coves, including another stretch awarded the Blue Flag: the beach of I Due Mari (The Two Seas), so called due to the two beaches opposite each other, one on each side of the isthmus, featuring fine white sand and a turquoise sea with rocky outcrops. Caprera holds many other jewels: to the north-west, the pink granite surrounds Cala Serena, Cala Garibaldi and Cala Napoletana, with a sea so transparent that it seems unreal. Then, to the north-east, you will be breathless as you admire the ‘Sardinian Tahiti’, Cala Coticcio, a real natural swimming pool set in the granite and surrounded by uncontaminated Mediterranean greenery.