The strategic location of the island’s capital city at the centre of the Gulf of Angels makes it the point of departure for scuba diving excursions. The most exciting dives are wreck dives, and many of the wrecks here sank in the early 1940s, when Cagliari was the Mediterranean capital of war operations. One of the most fascinating dives is to the Romagna, a tanker built in 1899 that was requisitioned by the Italian Royal Navy during World War II. In early August of 1943 it was hit by a mine just off of Capo Sant’Elia and sank to 40 metres, where it now lies providing a habitat for bream, damselfish, conger eels and groupers that roam between rusting bulkheads and the sea sponge-covered bridge.

The second largest island of the Sulcis archipelago has a rocky shoreline and is the perfect place to go scuba diving. The little island of Corno below the Capo Sandalo lighthouse is a dive site that is not to be missed. The seabed goes down to 40 metres with sandy stretches cut by deep canyons. Once you’ve immersed yourself into the rich marine flora and fauna, you will spot colourful sea slugs, lobster, damselfish and a variety of other species. Don’t miss out on the Tacche Bianche descent at a depth of 17 metres, where a colony of coral covers a rocky arch frequented by fish of all sorts.