Protected Marine Area

The Capo Testa - Punta Falcone Protected Marine Area, located in the Municipality of Santa Teresa Gallura, stands out on the marine surface overlooking the Bonifacio Strait and contains within it, by extension, almost the entire coast of the municipality, characterized by a landscape of white sands and imposing granite rocks that represent true natural monuments, located in a natural environment rich in scents, shapes and colors that involve all the senses.

The favorable location of the place, characterized by inlets and coves suitable for maritime landings, aroused interest for military purposes; in fact, in the second half of the 1500s King Philip II of Spain decided to build the Longosardo coastal tower, a structure which together with about a hundred other towers located throughout the Sardinian coastal territory had the function of defending and controlling possible enemy raids.

The name Santa Teresa Gallura arrived in 1808, when King Victor Emmanuel I decided to establish a village that resembled his beloved Turin and named it in honor of his wife: Queen Maria Theresa of Habsburg-Este.