The "high" part of Caprera
The Eastern Ridge crosses the island of Caprera keeping on the eastern coast, the roughest and steepest, and therefore the best protected and most uncontaminated.
This is an out-and-back trail, although it is possible, for those who wish to do so, to reconnect with the Western Ridge by following the trail called ‘From Cala Napoletana to Candeo’ in this guidebook, so as to follow a loop trail.
The trail partly follows paths, identified by local signs with the numbers 3, 6, 8, 11 and 16, which are well signposted, but in any case we recommend using the GPX track that can be downloaded from this page.
Once you reach Stagnali, either by car or with public transport, head back along the tarmac road, turning left at the first fork and right at the second one. Eighty metres after the second fork, take the path to the left amidst the scrub and follow it until you come to a small farm building. There, take a dirt road and follow it for a few metres, then turn left again along the track that crosses path no. 3, which you follow in the direction of Poggio Rasu.
After about one kilometre uphill, heading east through the Mediterranean scrub, you come to a paved road. On our right, you can see the ruins of the fortifications of Poggio Rasu. Take a left, and continue on the very scenic road up to a crossroads. Continue on the dirt road in the middle (path no. 6 in the direction of Casa Zonza). Shortly after the ruins, the track joins the paved road: follow it for a few dozen meters until you find path no. 8 in the direction of Fosso Stefano.
About halfway down the slope to the north-west, a small deviation takes you to the Compendio Garibaldino. Among the many buildings that testify to the hero’s presence on the island, the Casa Bianca stands out. It now houses the museum dedicated to Garibaldi.
After the must-visit of Garibaldi’s home, the itinerary continues downhill to the Fosso Stefano reservoir. Skirt it on path no. 8, which you leave shortly afterwards. Then walk away from the reservoir, following the path that leads to the dam. Go straight along the dirt road, heading west, until the junction with another dirt road, path no. 16, which you take to the right, heading north-east.
There, a long climb begins towards Forte Arbuticci, whose imposing ramparts stand out before you. About halfway up, leave path no. 16, which continues northwards, and take the wide cart track to the right that leads to the car park of the fort that houses the Giuseppe Garibaldi Memorial.
After the parking area, follow the signs for path no. 11 in the direction of Candeo. At the junction for the Messa del Cervo battery, which is worth a visit with a small deviation, descend the steep hairpin bends of the mule track leading to the impressive battery of Candeo, where the trail ends.
The trail
- Start: Stagnali
- End: Fortifications of Candeo
- Distance: 7,40 km
- Duration: 2 h 00' one way
- Elevation gain: 124 m
- Type out-and-back trail
- Difficulty:Moderate
- Access: Drive to Stagnali
- Directions: paths no. 3, 6, 8, 11 and 16
Per saperne di più
Trovalo sulla mappa