


Near the north east coast of Sardinia a limestone monolith emerges from the sea from which the marine area in which it stands takes its name.
Province: Province of Sassari
Maximum altitude: (Punta Cannone) 565 m a.s.l.
Location: Olbia (Tyrrhenian Sea)
South of Olbia, in the San Teodoro area, is the Tavolara archipelago, a suggestive marine protected area.
This reserve of great natural importance, is made up of the islands of Tavolara, Molara, Molarotto and Piana and offers visitors fascinating itineraries suspended between sea and mountains.
The island of Tavolara is characterized by kilometers of beautiful beaches; on the south-east side you can admire cliffs up to a hundred meters high above the sea, while the opposite side of the island is less steep.
The north-western side is distinguished by a slight slope made up of pink granite.
Its flora is being studied: in fact, the possible nesting of the storm bird and osprey, a rare species in Sardinia, has been reported.
The island of Molara is characterized by ravines and caves and the landscape is hilly; at its side we find Molarotto, a pyramid-shaped rock that houses a unique lizard in the world, the Lacerta tiliguerta ranzii.
Isola Piana is a small oasis surrounded by a very clean sea and crystal clear reflections.


MOLARA
Of granite nature, it has an area of 3, 411 km² and reaches, with Punta la Guardia, 158 m s. L. m. The toponym, of medieval attestation, is probably due to the rounded and uniform shape of the island, similar to a millstone. So far there are no documented prehistoric settlements on the island of Molara but at the dawn of Christianity it is said that Pope Pontian (235) was exiled there together with the priest Ippolito, an ardent Christian and of vast culture, from Maximin the Thrace, who died of starvation and torture in Molara. In the north-western part of the island, near Cala Chiesa, there are the remains of a medieval single-ship church, in Romanesque style dedicated to San Ponziano
Immersed in the dense vegetation, the ruins of the church attributed to Pope Pontian martyr rise on the island of Molara, entering a few hundred meters inside Cala Chiesa, overlooking the island of Tavolara. Pope Pontian, exiled to Sardinia by Maximin the Thracian in 235, died of hardship and torture in Molara. Also with him was the priest Ippolito, an ardent Christian with a vast culture.
Around this church it was possible to identify the remains of a medieval town and further upstream of a castle, probably the ancient Gurguray even if there is no certain information on its actual demographic consistency. In the 15th century the existence on the island of a monastery of nuns is testified.
