The Kingdom of Tavolara and the Republic of Malu Entu. Micronations, tourism and sub-state nationalism in two Sardinian near islands

Abstract

Tavolara is on the northeast coast of Sardinia, at 4.5 km from the small town of Loiri Porto San Paolo and 18.3 km from the city of Olbia (Fig. 1). It is a 6 km long and 1 km wide limestone massif that in its highest point reaches 565 m. Most of its perimeter is a rocky cliff face and the main landfall is a small beach facing the Sardinian’s coast, named Spalmatore di Terra (Fig 2). A smaller docking area lies on the opposite side, at Cala Levante, through which a lighthouse and the NATO radio facilities can be reached. (Floris 9: 338). Tavolara was known by the Etruscans, Greeks and Romans, who used it as a water and food filling station, and during mid-9th century it appears to have been a railing point for North African corsairs (Della Marmora 360-362). During the 18th century shepherds from Sardinia and Corsica used the island as pasturage, and between late 19th century and the 1960s fishers from the Pontine Islands stayed on it for a few months a year. Today Tavolara is part of the touristic network of North Sardinia, as we will discuss later.