Situated at the north-east end of the island, the Arcipelago della Maddalena represents one of the most beautiful places of the Region. The archipelago, consisting of several islands, can be reached using the ferries that leave every half-hour from the port of Palau. The nearest, largest isles are La Maddalena, Santo Stefano, Caprera and Spargi, whereas the isles of Razzoli, Budelli and Santa Maria are more to the north. The isles, uninhabited for a very long time, were finally populated in the second half of the eighteenth century, when the naval officers of the Regno di Sardegna (interested in the strategic position of the area) occupied the archipelago. In the nineteenth and twentieth century, in fact, the very position of the island made La Maddalena, together with Taranto and La Spezia, one of the most important shipping centres of Italy. The renown of the archipelago is due to a number of historical events: the resistance of the people (led by Domenico Millelire) to Napoleon’s attempt to conquer the island (last decade of the eighteenth century); the presence of Admiral Nelson on the island; Garibaldi’s stay in Caprera (second half of the nineteenth century), where “l’Eroe dei due mondi” (= the hero of two worlds) spent the last 26 years of his life. Nowadays, the fame of La Maddalena is mainly due to the development of tourism, to the beauty of its beaches, its depths, its coast: a real paradise for the lovers of sea, sun, nature, aquatic sports and windsurfing. In 1996 the Archipelago, thanks to its environmental and naturalistic treasures, became a National Park where flora, fauna and scenery are carefully guarded. The old town centre of La Maddalena, situated in the south, stretches from the port to the nineteenth century buildings of Via Vittorio Emanuele up to Piazza Garibaldi, called “Piazza Rossa” (= Red Square) because of its characteristic paving. Worth visiting are the Baroque parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena and Cala Gavetta, which houses the oldest palaces of the town. At the north end of the town, one can visit the archaeological naval museum of Nino Lambroglia. On the isle of Caprera, visitors can admire the Compendio garibaldino and the Casa Bianca (= White House) of Giuseppe Garibaldi.