“Asinara was a maximum-security prison until the late 1990s — bosses such as Totò Riina and Raffaele Cutolo were held here. Today it is one of Italy's most protected National Parks: about 51 km² of wild nature, brilliant white beaches, white donkeys and a former prison you can visit.”
There are very few beds on Asinara — it is a protected National Park. The ideal base is Stintino, where we have a selection of homes a few minutes from the harbour where boats leave for the island. Message us and we'll plan your stay + excursion together.
Asinara is an island of about 51 km² in north-western Sardinia, separated from the Stintino peninsula by a short stretch of sea (the Passaggio dei Fornelli, between Isola Piana and Asinara). You can only get there by sea: shuttle boats run by licensed operators from Stintino (landing at Fornelli), the scheduled Delcomar ferry from Porto Torres (landing at Cala Reale) or organised boat trips. Private cars can't come over: the island has just one main road, no hotels and few places to eat — nothing you'd expect from an ordinary tourist destination.
▶️ Asinara on video: the wild island of the white donkeys
It's a National Park since 1997 (the Park Authority has been operating since 2002) and a Marine Protected Area. For more than a century, from 1885, it was an agricultural penal colony and then a maximum-security prison: inmates included Totò Riina and Raffaele Cutolo, and in 1985 the judges Falcone and Borsellino stayed here to draft the case for the Maxiprocesso (the Palermo Maxi Trial) in safety. When the prison closed at the end of the 1990s, the island revealed its full natural splendour — preserved precisely because it had been off-limits to the public for generations.
Today it is one of the most memorable experiences you can have in Sardinia. White donkeys (a rarity found almost nowhere else), unspoilt coves, a former prison you can visit, and some of the richest marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean. A day you won't forget.
Asinara's prison history begins in 1885, when the Italian state removes the families of Sardinian and Ligurian shepherds and fishermen who lived there (45 of them soon go on to found Stintino, on the coast opposite). The island becomes an agricultural penal colony: prisoners work the land, raise livestock and live in small “branches” scattered across the island.
During the First World War it becomes a prison camp for tens of thousands of Austro-Hungarian soldiers — thousands die of cholera and hardship, and their remains still lie today in the Ossario di Campu Perdu ossuary. After the war it goes back to being an agricultural colony; from the 1970s some branches become maximum-security prisons and from 1992 mafia bosses are held here under the strict “41 bis” prison regime: total isolation, extreme surveillance.
Mafia bosses, Camorra leaders and Red Brigades terrorists all pass through its walls. In the summer of 1985 Falcone and Borsellino stay here with their families, in the guest quarters at Cala d'Oliva, to draft the case for the Palermo Maxiprocesso (1986–1987) in complete safety. In 1997 the National Park is created and the prison is decommissioned. The island, finally open to visitors, turns out to be a natural heritage of inestimable value.
Asinara's icon is its white donkeys (Equus asinus var. albina) — a partially albino breed found almost exclusively here. Snow-white coat, pinkish muzzle and skin, pale eyes with a hint of blue, small build. They are semi-wild: they roam freely across the island and come up to visitors — used to people, but not tame.
They live in free-roaming herds around the former farmland. You can get close, but they are not tame — no riding them and no bothering them. The Park monitors the population with regular counts: today more than a hundred live on the island. You'll mostly meet them along the main road and around the small settlements.
Besides the white donkeys there are also grey donkeys (non-albino), wild boar, horses, mouflon, sea turtles and bird species of great value.
Asinara has some of the cleanest beaches in the Mediterranean — no erosion caused by people, no beach clubs, no chemicals. The best-known coves (some can only be admired from a distance, because they lie in fully protected zones):
Considered by many the most beautiful on the island. Brilliant white sand, turquoise sea, a Caribbean feel. It's reached from Cala d'Oliva on a dirt road and is a regular stop on tours.
A long sandy beach with a gently sloping seabed and centuries-old junipers behind it. It lies in Zone A, under full protection: access is forbidden and you can only admire it from a distance.
Also called sa Murighessa, it's the white-sand beach just south of the village of Cala d'Oliva. Today an unspoilt beach, with an atmosphere steeped in history.
On the east coast, in front of the former prison branch and the Trabuccato tower. Intact Posidonia seagrass, clear water, a primeval atmosphere.
The historic village with the former central prison, on the north-east coast. A small harbour, a hostel and the Locanda del Parco, where you can eat.
Where the ferries from Porto Torres dock, with the former Lazzaretto (quarantine station), the Palazzo Reale, a bar and, a short way off, the Osservatorio del Mare with the marine wildlife rescue centre (CRAMA).
You can only reach Asinara by sea. Three main options:
Licensed operators run shuttle boats from Stintino to Fornelli (daily departures in high season, a short crossing); from Porto Torres there's the scheduled Delcomar ferry to Cala Reale (about 1 hr 15 min, seasonal timetable). Approximate adult return fare (summer 2026): €18–25, reductions for children. Pros: inexpensive. Cons: fixed times, and you have to get around the island on your own (on foot, by bike or in a hired electric car).
The easiest and most complete option. Stintino operators run day tours by boat, with stops in different coves (snorkelling, swimming), lunch on board or on the island, and a guide who tells you about the history and nature. Average price (summer 2026): €40–70 per person. In high season, book a few days ahead.
Once on the island, you explore with guided vehicles run by licensed operators: 4×4 jeeps, a road train or a bus; alternatively, you can hire bikes, e-bikes or electric cars. Approximate extra cost (summer 2026): €15–40. It lets you see the former prison, the historic prison branches and Cala Reale, and walk in areas you can't reach by sea.
Few places to stay on Asinara: at Cala d'Oliva there's only the hostel and the Locanda del Parco, with a limited number of places that must be booked well in advance. The ideal base is Stintino, the village facing the island, where we have managed holiday homes directly since 2011.
Stintino is the natural starting point:
Visit Asinara, sleep in Stintino. Holiday homes managed directly since 2011. Book direct and save up to 15%. We'll help you plan your Asinara tour.
🏠 See our homes in Stintino 💬 Plan your Asinara tour| Period | Sea | Crowds | Tours | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April–May | 🌊 18–21°C | 🟢 Low | 🟢 Available | ⭐ Flowers, active wildlife, no crowds |
| June–September | 🌊 22–27°C | 🟡 High | 🟡 Book 2–3 days ahead | Swimming in the coves + full tour |
| August | 🌊 27°C | 🔴 Peak | 🔴 Book 1 week ahead | Book from Stintino |
| October | 🌊 22°C | 🟢 Low | 🟢 Available | ⭐ Last month of full tours |
| November–March | 🌊 14–17°C | 🟢 None | ⚠️ Limited | Historical visit only |
