Throughout the year, Sardinia – an island in the western Mediterranean – enchants tourists from around the world thanks to the variety of its stunning landscapes and coasts, its particularly mild climate in every season and its ancient traditions.
With almost 2,000 km of coastline, constantly alternating between long, sandy stretches and small, rocky bays set against sheer cliffs, Sardinia is one of the most beloved islands in the world.
On the northern coast lies Olbia, with its commercial sea port and the Costa Smeralda airport (the most popular in Sardinia in terms of visitor numbers). Continuing on our imaginary journey, we cross the cliffs of the Golfo Aranci, then make our way round the Costa Smeralda, with the fjords, creeks and little beaches of the Gulf of Cugnana. Beyond Porto Cervo, we come to more fjords along the Gulf di Arzachena, facing out towards the archipelago of La Maddalena, before we reach Santa Teresa di Gallura and the promontory of Capo Testa.
From here, pressing ahead with our coastal itinerary, we can admire a delightful tract of shoreline characterised by famous pink-granite rocks and dotted with little bays and beaches, all the way to Isola Rossa, the Red Island.
Carrying on along the coast, which becomes sandy, then full of dunes, we come in sequence to Valledoria, Castelsardo and Porto Torres, which has the second largest port in Sardinia. The entire coastline plays host to the typical farmhouses known as stazzi, which have now been converted into brightly coloured luxury villas, many of which have been snapped up by celebrities.
Equally fascinating is the western coast, which begins with the chalky promontory of Capo Caccia and features the caves and creeks of the Porto Conte Marine Protected Area, in the Gulf of Alghero.
Heading southwards, crossing the immense bay of Mugoni and the beautiful Lazzaretto and Bombarde beaches, we reach Fertilia, a little seaside village.
Just a couple of miles from Fertilia is Alghero, an impressive city of Catalan origin, with its major international “Riviera del Corallo” airport. From here, to the south, there is a string of bays, small beaches and stretches of Mediterranean maquis, which make way gradually to fairy-tale oak woodlands, until we arrive at the town of Bosa.
Wide expanses of sand surround the district of Bosa Marina and further down, towards the Sinis peninsula, there are almost endless beaches such as Is Arenas. Last but by no means least, we come to the quartz beach of Is Aruttas, the ponds of Oristano and the tourist hotspots of Costa Verde.
