Bergeggi, Liguria, Italy

Isola di Bergeggi

Isola di Bergeggi is a small uninhabited islet just off the coast of Savona on Liguria's Riviera di Ponente, the centre of the Bergeggi Marine Protected Area. The islet's walls drop from a shallow rocky platform near 6 metres to about 45 metres on a rocky and sandy base, with vertical sections, small caves and stepped reefs. The walls below 22 metres support yellow Eunicella cavolini fans, encrusting orange Astroides calycularis on shaded faces, yellow Parazoanthus axinellae and a varied sponge community, with patches of red gorgonian (Paramuricea clavata) in the deeper sections. Resident species include dusky groupers, brown meagre, conger eels, octopus, moray eels and scorpionfish; salema and damselfish schools, sea breams and ornate wrasses are common, with barracuda and amberjack passing occasionally. The Bergeggi MPA also protects shallow Posidonia oceanica meadows and a Roman-era amphora wreck nearby. Visibility is typically 12–22 metres; currents are moderate.