Capo Malfatano

A granite headland on Sardinia's south-west coast does double duty: above it stands a Spanish-period watchtower, and beneath the clear water in front of its beach lie sandstone blocks from a harbour the Phoenicians opened in the sixth century BC.

Why it matters

Capo Malfatano, in the coastal territory of Teulada in Sud Sardegna, belongs to a coastal district that also includes Tuerredda, Porto Tramatzu, Cala Zafferano and the dunes of Porto Pino. The headland's sheltered bay has been a working anchorage since at least the sixth century BC, first for Phoenician and then for Punic ships, and parts of that ancient quay still rest just offshore. Around the water, the landscape alternates greyish sand, steep cliffs and small coves of amber sand mixed with pebbles.

What to notice

Begin at the waterline. The main beach, which carries the same name as the cape, sits between Tuerredda and Piscinnì; its sand is medium-grained and flecked with pebbles, and the seabed drops so gently that the calm, pale-blue water keeps its transparency well out before deepening offshore. The water shifts between emerald and turquoise. Then look up: the tower stands on the promontory above, with a small lagoon tucked behind it between the headland and the coast road. From the slopes near the tower the view takes in the coves of punta Tonnara, the islet of Tuerredda offshore, and, in clear conditions, the sea stacks of Capo Spartivento to the north-west. Submerged sandstone blocks attributed to the ancient quays remain visible near the rocks.

Context and history

The bay's geography made it a harbour long before tourism. From the sixth century BC Phoenician traders used the sheltered inlet, and their Punic successors kept it in service; sandstone blocks attributed to the ancient quays remain visible off the beach. Centuries later the same commanding position drew the coastal defences of the Spanish period, whose watchtower still overlooks the promontory. Tuerredda, known as a symbolic beach of Sardinia, lies across a short stretch of the Costa del Sud; both coves share the sheltered waters of the coast.