We anchor in a sheltered bay and paddle ashore in our canoe, stepping onto a tiny beach framed by glowing red rocks and the most unbelievably clear water.

I can’t resist — the sea calls me in.

This is Tavolara: a dramatic limestone and granite ridge rising like a fortress from the emerald sea, part of a protected marine reserve. Once the legendary ‘smallest kingdom’ ruled by the Bertoleoni family, it’s a place of myths—gold-toothed goats, stone sentinels, prehistoric caves, and Etruscan whispers in its rocky heart.

As a curious side note, on the western side lies a NATO telecommunications base that was active during the Cold War. Closed to the public and invisible from here, it remains a secret presence in this timeless paradise.