AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 ISLANDS 14 THE RED GOLD OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA (SARDEGNA)
It is in Sardinia that we discover the secrets of red coral, the underwater jewel of the Mediterranean Sea, where in Alghero you can find the centre for both fishing and coral processing formed in the reign of Peter IV of Aragon, a coral that is collected and processed with great skill. On board a traditional Turkish boat we sail towards the protected Marine area of Capo Caccia - Isola Piana, the only place in the Mediterranean Sea that red coral transplanting has been successful. With its strange dark and clear light plays, we go underwater into the Neptune Caves, where the walls of the caves are covered with magnificent branches of red coral surrounded by cnidarians and sponges. An expert coral harvester explains to us how they collect the coral at about 80 to 100 metres below and then an artisan shows us how they process and work this red gold of the Mediterranean Sea.
