Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cliffs, while the inland is covered in thick maquis flecked with rosemary and foxglove.
The centre harbours a nondescript small town with several hotels.
Easily defended, small San Nicola island is the traditional administrative centre - a
castlelike cluster of medieval buildings rises up from the rocks. The third island, Capraia,
is uninhabited.
Most boats arrive at San Domino. Small boats regularly make the brief crossing to San
Nicola (€6 return) in high season - from October to March a single boat makes the trip
after meeting the boat from the mainland.
Sights & Activities
San Domino
Head to San Domino for walks, grottoes and coves. It has a pristine, marvellous coastline
and the islands' only sandy beach, Cala delle Arene. Alongside the beach is the small
cove Grotta dell'Arene, with calm, clear waters for swimming.
You can also take a boat trip (€12 to €15 from the port) around the island to explore the
grottoes: the largest,
Grotta del Bue Marino
, is 70m long. A tour around all three islands
costs €15 to €17. Diving in the translucent sea is another option with
Tremiti Diving Center
(
337 64 89 17;
www.tremitidivingcenter.com
; Via Federico 2)
. There's an undemanding, but en-
chanting, walking track around the island, starting at the far end of the village.
ISLAND
ISLAND
San Nicola
Medieval buildings thrust out of San Nicola's rocky shores, the same pale-sand colour as
the barren cliffs. In 1010, Benedictine monks founded the
Abbazia e Chiesa di Santa Maria
here; for the next 700 years the islands were ruled by a series of abbots who accumulated
great wealth.
Although the church retains a weather-worn Renaissance portal and a fine 11th-century
floor mosaic, its other treasures have been stolen or destroyed throughout its troubled his-
tory. The only exceptions are a painted wooden Byzantine crucifix brought to the island in
AD 747 and a black Madonna, probably transported here from Constantinople in the
Middle Ages.
Capraia
ISLAND
