The limestone promontory of Capo Figari is located on the Gallura stretch of coastline, in north-eastern Sardinia, in the municipality of Golfo Aranci. Site of Community Importance, together with the Isola di Figarolo opposite, it is home to evocative historical elements and an uncontaminated natural landscape.
The former Naval lookout post stands on the summit of the imposing promontory, at 342 metres a.s.l. Opened on 11 March 1890, it became a key part of the the Regia Marina’s system of lighthouses and lookout posts.
Between 1930 and 1932, the semaforo at Capo Figari enjoyed its proverbial moment of glory, with the arrival of Guglielmo Marconi. On 11 August 1932, he experimented by sending a shortwave signal for radio communication and managed to connect to the observatory of Rocca di Papa, near Roma, via the Elettra ship which was sailing in the Golfo Aranci.
The observatory work at Capo Figari lasted for another couple of years. Its role as a lookout post was enhanced during the last war, until it finally fell into disuse. In 2006, it passed from the control of the Armed Forces into the hands of Sardinia’s Coastal Conservation Agency. Since 1995, it has been brought “back to life” for one day a year thanks to the bizarre but evocative ceremony on International Marconi Day when, at the end of April, local groups of amateur radio operators remember the connections and transmissions from over 60 historical Marconian stations in Italy and around the world.
