La Maddalena, Italy  - With its jagged cliffs and fjord-like coves, Italy's Maddalena Archipelago, in the Gallura region off the north-east coast of Sardinia, is like a Mediterranean version of Norway.

Designated a national park 15 years ago, the scattered seven main islands and numerous islets are alive with palm trees, small juniper and stone pine forests and gigantic oleander bushes. They also have wonderful beaches rimmed with bizarre rock formations.

Maddalena is the largest island and the only one inhabited year-round. At the moment, it is busy preparing to host the G8 summit of the leading industrialized nations in July. Ferries arrive at La Maddalena, the island's principal town, every half-hour from Palau, on Sardinia.

Though small, La Maddalena is well supplied with restaurants, bars and cafes. Otherwise, it radiates calm. Construction scars and semi-dilapidated military areas are a reminder that La Maddalena was home to a US naval base until recently.

The scenic road that circles the island leads to charming beaches like Bassa Trinita and Spalmatore. Sandy and gently sloping into the sea, the beaches of La Maddalena are a match for the bays of neighbouring Corsica.

Showcasing the archipelago's natural beauty, the road offers a sudden view of the neighbouring islands through the felsenmeer. Corsica's tall mountains appear on the horizon, while the road leads down to another picturesque cove. Shaped like a semicircle and nicely named Nido d'Aquila - Eagle's Nest - it is another lovely spot to get out the swimming trunks.

Those hankering for a little amusement after finishing their swim can take the obligatory stroll through La Maddalena, which is lined with 18th-century town houses and countless shops selling Sardinian rugs and delicacies catching the eyes of gourmets.

A small causeway and an old railroad bridge link La Maddalena with Caprera, the second-largest island in the archipelago. Its forests are even lusher than those on La Maddalena. Grander, too, are its granite formations, many of which resemble animals. Is that one a snake, a horse head or a fantastical creature of stone?

It is somewhat difficult to find the beaches on Caprera, though. What cannot be overseen are signs of Italian freedom fighter Giuseppe Garibaldi, who settled on the island following his patriotic exploits and died there in 1882. His house, the Casa Bianca, stands in a dense stone pine forest.

Bag-packing in the evening is followed by another cosy get-together, with a view of La Maddalena's harbour. The ferries, as quiet as they are busy, glide back and forth all the while. In the distance, over the mountains on Sardinia - the "mainland," though an island itself - cloud formations are visible.

Then swarms of swallows appear out of nowhere, moving across a sky that is already about to turn night-blue. Disco music still booms from the harbour bar below, but the archipelago seems slowly to sink into silence.

Internet: www. enit. it (dpa)