The La Maddalena Archipelago is a national park comprising around 60 islands and islets off the northeastern tip of Sardinia, a short ferry crossing from Palau. The two largest islands are La Maddalena (where the main town is) and Caprera, connected by a causeway.
The archipelago's beaches and coves are stunning — some of the clearest water anywhere in the Mediterranean. The most famous beaches include Cala Coticcio on Caprera (nicknamed "the Tahiti of the Mediterranean"), Budelli with its protected pink-sand beach, and the beaches of Spargi and Santa Maria. Day-trip boats from La Maddalena town visit the smaller islands; in high season these fill up, so book ahead.
On Caprera, the Casa Museo di Garibaldi preserves the home where Giuseppe Garibaldi spent his later years and died in 1882. His tomb is in the garden. It's a moving and historically significant place, and less visited than you'd expect given its importance to Italian national history.
La Maddalena town itself is pleasant and unpretentious — a working port with good seafood restaurants and the feel of a place that hasn't been entirely swallowed by tourism. Ferries run frequently from Palau on the mainland.