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La Maddalena (
Gallurese Gallurese () is a Romance language from the Italo-Dalmatian family spoken in the region of Gallura, northeastern Sardinia. It is sometimes considered a dialect of southern Corsican or a transitional language between Corsican and Sardinian. ...
: ''Madalena'' or ''La Madalena'', sc, Sa Madalena) is a town and '' comune'' located on the islands of the
Maddalena archipelago The Maddalena Archipelago is a group of islands in the Strait of Bonifacio between Corsica (France) and Sardinia (Italy). The whole archipelago makes the territory of the ''La Maddalena'' comune in Sardinia. Geography The archipelago consists ...
in the province of Sassari, northern Sardinia, Italy. The main town of the same name is located on the homonymous island.


Comune

The La Maddalena comune covers all the territory of the La Maddalena archipelago including the islands: Barrettini, Barettinelli, Bisce, Budelli, Camizie, Cappuccini, Caprera, Chiesa, Colombo, Corcelli, Delle Bocche, Italiani, Le Camere, Nibani, Maddalena, Monaci, Mortorio, Pecora, Piana, Porco, Porro, Presa, Razzoli, Santa Maria, Santo Stefano, Soffi, Spargi and Spargiotto.


Town

La Maddalena is the largest town in the
Maddalena archipelago The Maddalena Archipelago is a group of islands in the Strait of Bonifacio between Corsica (France) and Sardinia (Italy). The whole archipelago makes the territory of the ''La Maddalena'' comune in Sardinia. Geography The archipelago consists ...
, just from the northeastern shore of Sardinia and sitting in the Strait of Bonifacio, between it and
Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast o ...
. The focal-point of pedestrian activity is around Piazza Umberto I (formerly known as Piazza Comando-the older generation of natives in town still commonly refer to the piazza by its original name). There is an adjacent via (Garibaldi) that connects the port (Banchina Commerciale I) facing the Island of Santo Stefano and Piazza Umberto I with city hall. Via Garibaldi is surrounded by commercial shops, restaurants, and bars. La Maddalena now derives much of its income from tourism. The only method of traveling to La Maddalena is by boat, with car ferries travelling from nearby Palau in Sardinia. The natives of La Maddalena speak a Sardo-Corsican dialect known as ''Maddalenino''.


Island

The island of Maddalena has several beaches, including Bassa Trinita and Spalmatore. It is characterized by rocky granitic terrain and has some ancient fortifications. It is connected by causeway with the nearby island of Caprera, known as the last residence of the Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi.


History

La Maddalena has undergone many name changes: the Romans named it ''Ilva'', ''Fussa'' and ''Bucina'' and in the Middle Ages the island was known as "Bicinara" before being given the name of ''Santa Maria Magdalena'' in the 16th century. After this it finally became known as La Maddalena. The Maddalena archipelago is known from archaeological evidence to have been occupied in prehistoric times, but its
written history Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world hist ...
begins with the
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...
. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire the islands were completely abandoned until the 12th century, when they were chosen by
Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...
monks founding small communities there. The islands were the object of a dispute between the Republics of Pisa and Genoa in the 12th century. In 1584 all the monasteries on the islands were destroyed by one of the Ottoman raids. In the 17th century shepherds began to bring their flocks to the islands in the winter months. Its location in the Strait of Bonifacio, through which much maritime traffic must pass, turned the archipelago into a strategic military position. In 1767 it was occupied by the Savoy-Piedmontese. The nucleus of the present town of La Maddalena emerged then. In 1793 a French expedition, in which Napoleon Bonaparte took part, unsuccessfully tried to occupy the island. It was the first combat experience of Napoleon Bonaparte. During all the Napoleonic Wars Admiral
Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...
used the archipelago of La Maddalena as a base for his fleet in actions against the French. A base was established here by the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) in 1887. In 1943, during World War II,
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
was briefly held prisoner here. The former Naval Arsenal at the Moneta locality was planned to host the
35th G8 Summit The 35th G8 summit was held in L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy, on 8–10 July 2009. It was originally to be held at Sardinian seaside city of La Maddalena, but it was moved to L'Aquila as part of an attempt to redistribute disaster funds after the deva ...
in 2009, which later was moved to L'Aquila.


Twin towns

*
Ajaccio Ajaccio (, , ; French: ; it, Aiaccio or ; co, Aiacciu , locally: ; la, Adiacium) is a French commune, prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud, and head office of the '' Collectivité territoriale de Corse'' (capital city of Corsica ...
, France * Nice, France


See also

* List of islands of Italy


References


External links


The Italian Tourist BoardThe British National ArchivesArcipelago di La Maddalena National Park
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maddalena Cities and towns in Sardinia Islands of Sardinia