The recent history of the MPA is very similar to that of the other coastal territories in Gallura, with land divided between a few large families, where the islands are temporary pasture lands for herds of cattle and sheep. The island of Tavolara, however, is an exception, being the protagonist of a story between myth and reality that sees the existence of the Kingdom of Tavolara, ruled by the family of shepherds Bertoleoni, who arrived on the island in the '600. In the 19th century, Giuseppe Bertoleoni, landowner, smuggler, poacher and bigamist, was the first King of Tavolara, or presumed to be so. The family owned the island until 1886, carried out agriculture, sheep farming and fishing, and was for a long time the owner of the flourishing production of lime; the great presence of limestone and firewood was in fact the basis for the construction of numerous cookers, still visible today, which remained in operation until 1955. After 1952 the stable population of Tavolara began to decline, while the phenomenon of tourism began to manifest itself, becoming in a short time the major economic activity of the island. In 1961 the NATO military base at Punta Timone was built and for this reason the last residents had to leave Tavolara. However, the story continues.....