Capo Sperone

Cape Sperone anchorage is located on the island of Sant’Antioco in southwestern Sardinia. It is bordered on the west by the Sperone of the same name and on the east by the Gulf of Palmas. The bay is sheltered from northerly winds, but when a strong southerly wind blows it is impossible to stay there; during the summer in case of sirocco passing by capo Sperone becomes a big problem, because the wind alternates with the mistral and is always very strong.

The coastline of this part of Sardinia is very varied and rugged, there are sand to very high rocks with some marshy areas and inland marshes and typical marshy vegetation. In the Gulf of Cape Sperone, the anchorage bottom is a mixture of sand and rocks and the average depth is about 3 meters; in summer, many boats stop there and the coast is quite crowded because there is a white sandy beach, which, however, is sometimes full of debris due to strong currents.

There is a resort, bars and stores on the beach, and the water is suitable for swimming, provided the weather is not windy; the sea quickly reaches great depths and is also very attractive to scuba divers.

Capo Sperone is a reef located at the extreme southern tip of theisland of Sant’Antioco, and throughout this area the sea is pristine and iridescent in color thanks to the wild vegetation that reflects in the water with the sun. The dominant plant along the entire coast is the pink peony, which is also the name of an inland location not far from the anchorages of Cape Sperone.

The island of Sant’Antioco is joined to Sardinia by a 3-km-long artificial isthmus, and there are two population centers, Calasetta to the north and Sant’Antioco to the south. The island is about 109 km² in size and in summer is very organized to receive tourists, with equipped beaches, nightclubs, discos and a marina. The municipality of Sant’Antioco has developed on the slopes of a mountain from which there are spectacular views and is located on an area inhabited by the Phoenicians and later by the Romans.

Inland there are numerous archaeological sites scattered throughout the island and especially in the town of Sant’Antioco where there is a Punic necropolis and early Christian catacombs. In addition to the beach of Capo Sperone, there are other very beautiful beaches in Sant’Antioco, such as that of Turri, not far from the anchorages that can be encountered by sea going east; it is a beach that can also be reached from Maladroxia and is made of stones and pebbles that slope gently into very clear water.