Sardinia's Maddalena Archipelago is as undiscovered as it is exotic. This Italian island chain in the Mediterranean spreads out from La Maddalena, its main town, in a sprinkle of 60 islands with ice-white beaches and turquoise waters. Information about the archipelago is scant. Only fishermen and the odd Italian holidaymaker frequent its 180 kilometres of coastline, and much of it was until recently off-limits because a Nato naval base was located there.
The 20-minute boat ride from Sardinia to the main island, also called La Maddalena, transports passengers from tranquillity to timelessness. The first glimpse of the archipelago reveals handsome stone houses. Prickly pears, juniper and thick pines form a herby green carpet along the deserted coast.
We disembark at La Maddalena's age-old port. Bakeries are packed with residents loading up on carta da musica, wafer-thin Sardinian flatbread, and formaggelle (sweet ricotta and raisin pastries). At the covered market, tuna from Sardinia's southern coast is laid out alongside prawns and piles of plump squid.
We duck into the waterfront restaurant L'Avventura, a snug spot renowned as La Maddalena's finest eatery. The backdrop of sepia-toned photographs of 19th-century Italian royalty may be dated, but the cuisine is modern. Mixed antipasti includes crispy crab cakes doused in thick balsamic vinegar and grilled aubergine slices wrapped around tomato-marinated octopus. Skinny vermicelli is layered with clams and bottarga, a local salted fish roe. Fregola sarda, toasted whole wheat pasta served in soup, bob in the broth like giant, unctuous couscous.
Thanks to the scented island foliage and a dearth of traffic, La Maddalena is perfect for exploration on foot. Early the next morning, we hike trails that loop into the countryside and along the tranquil shores. Our route takes us uphill to Guardia Vecchia, the island's old military fort, before plunging back down to a cobalt blue sea. At the bay of Cala Francese (French Cove), we follow a dirt track down to the water, picking our way between bulbous pink granite rocks, shaped and sculptured by the wind. We spread our market picnic - smoky ricotta cheese, mortadella ham and fresh focaccia - by the water's edge. On Spargi, the island opposite, beaches beckon. Before us, cormorants slip beneath the translucent sea, while seagulls dive for fish in the surrounding bay.
Back in town we round off the day with a glass of Prosecco at the century-old Bar Madrau. Set in the heart of Piazza Garibaldi, the terrace is perfect for people watching. A bronze sculpture of Giuseppe Garibaldi occupies a permanent place on the piazza's central bench. This 19th century general was crucial in bringing together Italy's disparate city states into a unified country. The archipelago has treated Garibaldi as an adopted son after he retired here in the 1870s in the hope of some very un-Italian peace and quiet.