The island within the island is not a tongue twister
Visit the Asinara Island in Sardinia. How to get there, what to see. Travel notes from a millennial.
Welcome back or welcome?
Welcome back to another adventure together! How do you say? We’ve never met? No matter!
I have so many things to tell, this is my “living room” of discoveries and everyone is welcome.
Make yourself comfortable and travel with me! Today I want to take you to a wonderful place in the north of Sardinia: Asinara Island.
Indeed, it’s an island belonging to another island! The funny name may bring a smile, but this is a… unique adventure!
Let’s go!
OMG! Smartphone dead
To reach Asinara, I first drove to the northwest of Sardinia to a little town called Porto Torres.
I had a clear idea: to take a boat tour to Asinara.
So, just past the Porto Torres sign, I took my phone out of my pocket to book online and realized it was completely dead.
Since I’m a millennial… I felt completely lost.
No photo.
No selfie.
No check-in.
No stories.
I couldn’t even update my stories on WhatsApp.
Just kidding, I don’t know anyone who does that.
Excuse me, sir, a quick question...
So we then decided to head to the port and ask someone – just like in the 80s, apparently, I wasn’t there.
I met a couple with fair skin and very blonde hair on the promenade. I suspected they weren't from around here and didn’t stop them.
I then spotted an elderly couple sitting on a bench, and despite the July heat, they were as fresh as daisies, while my forehead seemed like a waterfall in full flow.
Excuse me, sir, a question: how can I book the boat to Asinara?
He looked at me a bit surprised, and for a moment I feared the old man would scold me:
why, don’t you have a cellphone?
…
But after a moment of suspicion, their faces broke into a big smile and a generous heart typical of Sardinians.
1. Buy the ferry tickets here.
2. Rent an electric bike here.
In two simple, clear, concise moves without room for interpretation, he had already made me forget the anxiety of being without a phone.
After buying the tickets, how to pass the time waiting for the boat to Asinara if not by going to a pastry shop rich in typical Sardinian products?
I nibbled on everything, but those braid-shaped sweets covered in honey called Acciuleddi…. 
Better than a dream
Once I reached the island, I decided to replicate the style of the old man, guiding us on the map towards the main attractions: “Okay, we go here, here, and here”.
We then hopped on our electric bikes heading towards: “Tumbarino, Cala Reale, Trabuccato, and Cala d’Oliva, clear?”
Game, fight, or love?
Continuing my bike ride and my solitary mental concert with AC/DC, I had to suddenly stop because I couldn’t believe my eyes: a sweet family of donkeys!!!!
I cautiously approached them for fear of scaring them, but they were not shy at all!
They looked like plush toys due to the softness of their coats; I immediately adopted them.
From a distance, of course.
Shortly after, we unbelievably encountered… more donkeys! Or perhaps unbelievably not, since we are on the Island of Asinara.
It was a really charming couple and we still have different views on what they were doing. To me, they were playing; for others, it was courting behavior.
What do you think?
Historical thrills
Another place of great interest on the island is the former Asinara Prison; observing the white, peeling walls gave me a chill down my spine – I must admit I’m quite a scaredy-cat. Some parts of the prison buildings have now been converted into a hostel.
Did you know that Asinara was, for a time, the “forced” home of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino? This story is depicted in a film shot on the island: Era d’Estate.
The mafia is not invincible at all
it's a human fact, and like all human facts
it has a beginning and will also have an end
Those who are afraid die every day
Those who are not afraid die only once
I truly left my heart in this place and I will definitely come back. After all, I have to check that the donkeys are doing well 
TIP
A tip from a modern explorer? Don't stand in line under the sun like I did, managing to board only by sheer luck. Buy your ticket online for your boat trip to Asinara.
No queue, no sweat.