Spain. Snorkelling with pirates in Tabarca

It formally belongs to the Valencian Community, eleven nautical miles away from the port of embarkation in Alicante, near the Cabo de Santa Pola. It also includes the islets of La Cantera, La Galera and La Nao, but it is in Tabarca, 1,800 metres long and 400 metres wide, that one can experience a little August adventure to remember. It was here that pirate ships found refuge until, during the 18th century, King Charles III ordered its fortification and the construction of a village that would take in a few families of fishermen from Genoa, previously imprisoned in the Tunisian town of Tabarka. Now, one docks on the island mainly for snorkelling in its formidable seabed where groupers, giltheads, sea bass, bream, octopus and many other species thrive, testifying to its high degree of biodiversity, as well as visiting the Museo Historico Nueva Tabarca located right in front of the Playa Grande. Then, having passed through the Puerta de Levante, we enter the circle of walls, encountering the 18th-century church of San Pedro y San Pablo, and the Casa del Gobernador converted into a hotel not far from the 19th-century Torre de San José, the island's former prison. From there it is a short walk to the spectacular square lighthouse. At the tables of Don Jeronimo and Casa Gloria, you can then enjoy the traditional caldero, a seafood rice with boiled potatoes and aioli sauce.