Cala Sabina Beach

Cala Sabina is a small cove located on the island of Asinara, off the north west of Sardinia. Asinara was inhabited by a small fishing community and later turned into a leper colony and sanatorium, and then into a penal colony, and finally a maximum security prison. It was eventually declared national park, after the prisoners were moved, in 1997. Since then, it is possible to visit the island but there is only one place to sleep there. The island is great to explore (including the prisons which have been turned into a museum now), and several people do so on day trips that leave from Stintino. Yet it is strongly advised to spend at least a few days there. There are a bunch of hiking and biking trails leading to various beaches, including, the beautiful Cala Sabina with its spectacularly clear and shallow water. As the hostel on the island has limited capacity, Cala Sabina and other beaches in Asinara never get crowded.