Sardinia, Italy 

The second largest island in the Mediterranean, a name familiar to many but hitherto relatively unknown as a holiday destination, has over 1,800km of coastline, much of it utterly unspoilt and fringed by white sand beaches lapped by crystal clear waters.

The Gulf of Orosei on the east coast and just over an hour’s drive south from Olbia Airport covers an area of some 80 square kilometres from Cape Comino in the north to Cape Di Monte Santo further south. Noted for its craggy white cliffs and powder white coves backed by wild and uninhabited mountainous regions, it’s wonderful country for hikers and nature lovers.  Here too, the coastal waters are so clean and clear that colonies of beautiful coral grow on the seabed and the myriad’s of fish and other marine fauna attract Scuba divers from around the world, as well as the local fisherman of course.

The medieval market town of Orosei, from which the area takes its name, stands on the banks of the River Cedrino and boasts a number of lovely old churches and a warren of narrow cobbled streets leading to numerous small piazzas. The town is surrounded by lush green farmland bursting with orange and olive plantations and edged with a spectacular stretch of coastline and many, many kilometres of powder white sand beaches fringed by fragrant pinewoods.

Matching the beauty of its coastline, the hinterland of Sardinia is a magnificent and uncompromising landscape of high rugged mountains, deep gorges and rolling wooded countryside, still in some places inhabited by wild boar, a Sardinian delicacy and quite commonly featured on the menus of restaurants throughout the island.

Although wild boar might not be to everyone’s taste, the local seafood, cheeses and various pasta dishes are extremely good. Olbia is particularly renowned for its mussel beds and cozze alla marinara (aka moules mariniére) is a favourite starter. However for something unique, try the local seafood risotto, flamboyantly flavoured by hard little crustaceans and absolutely delicious!

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the area of Orosei and many parts of Sardinia for that matter remain refreshingly Non-Anglicised and a phrase book can be useful for interpreting menus and general communication.

Where we go

Fuile Mare   

Just a ten-minute drive north of the bustling town of Orosei, lies the little hamlet of Fuile Mare, an oasis of tranquillity with white sand beaches protected by rocky outcrops, with a scattering of private villas hidden away amongst the pine trees and the invaluable open air Bar Da Boe, with tables shaded by olive trees and serving wonderful fresh pasta, light meals and extremely quaffable carafes of white wine, throughout the day. There's also a small mini-market plus a restaurant at the Quattro Lune Hotel, which adjoins the main road some 400 metres back from the coast and a further choice of shops and restaurants at Sos Alinos and Cala Liberotto approx. 2km away.

For a special night out you can wine and dine on the romantic terrace of the small & exclusive Hotel Villa Campana, situated on a wooded hillside overlooking the sea. 

Cala Liberotto  

15 minutes drive from Orosei and 5 minutes from Fuile Mare is the small laid-back resort of Cala Liberotto with a few modest hotels plus a number of restaurants and pizzerias as well as two rustic beach side cantinas serving ice creams, cold drinks and simple meals. Here again, fragrant pinewoods fringe the beautiful, white sand beaches with villas nestling in their shade. There is a minimarket, green grocers and ice cream shop as well as bicycles for hire, plus tennis courts available at one of the hotels.

1km inland and adjoining Cala Liberotto, the village of Sos Alinos has a couple of well stocked supermarket plus a few other shops including a fishmongers, hairdressing salon and an excellent pizzeria for takeaway meals. Horse riding is available at nearby Cala Ginepro and for a tranquil day's outing and a little light exercise, a cycle ride to the Biderosa nature reserve is certainly worthwhile. Set on an extensive wooded promontory just beyond Cala Ginepro it also boasts some fabulous beaches that remain virtually deserted even in high season. Although the reserve can be entered by car, access is limited to 50 vehicles per day and tickets can only be purchased from the town hall in Orosei the previous afternoon! Entrance is free on bicycles and the reserve can also be more daringly reached by crossing a fast flowing stream at the far end of Cala Ginepro's second wide sandy beach. However, it does mean wading up to your chest or possibly even swimming a few strokes across the stream, but if you have the courage, it's perfectly legal, Do however wear rubber-soled shoes as the bottom is sharp and pebbly as we found out to our cost, when we nearly lost a camera in the process.

 Cala Gonone   

South of Orosei, beyond the enterprising and prosperous town of Dorgali famous for its leather, ceramics and filigree jewellery, lies the village of Cala Gonone. Until recent times, this independent community of seafaring folk was only accessible by boat or on foot by a perilous path hewn out of the cliff-side. However, thanks to the marvels of modern engineering, Cala Gonone can now be reached via a road tunnel that cuts straight through the mountainside to reveal a splendid panoramic view of the Golf of Orosei. From the tunnel's exit, a steep and winding road leads down through wooded hillsides, (still inhabited by wild boar) until you reach the village centre with its tree-lined promenade, restaurants, shops, fine sandy beaches and colourful fishing harbour.

From the harbour there are regular boat trips to the many fabulous beaches to the south of the village, which are virtually inaccessible by land. Cala Luna the nearest is recognised as one of the most beautiful beaches in Sardinia, with high cliffs protecting a glorious crescent of white sand and a lagoon fringed by pink Oleander. Further south are numerous smaller coves such as Cala Sisine and the evocatively named Ispuligidenie, and all have the remarkable crystal clear turquoise waters for which Sardinia is renowned.

Nearer to Cala Gonone the extraordinary cave of Bue Marino can also be visited by boat and has 900 metres of well-lit tunnels and underground streams to explore.

As well as incredible stalactites, the cave contains a number of prehistoric cave drawings and until the 1970's was the habitat of the rare and timid Monk seal.

The coastal waters here are some of the cleanest in the entire Mediterranean with a wealth of marine flora and fauna, as well as historical artefacts littering the ocean floor. If you are interested in scuba diving, our old friend, Fabio is a qualified diving instructor and runs a diving school in Cala Gonone. Being local born and bred, he knows all the best dive sites in the area! Fabio, naturally, is always delighted to organise a few dives ranging from half-day introductory taster sessions to a wide choice of full diving courses, so if you are interested, please contact us for further details.

Finally, if you really crave excitement, just north of Cala Gonone, the entrance of another huge cave is the awesome venue for bungee jumping, but check your insurance first.

 Monte Pedrosu

As the saying goes, less is often more and this can truly be said of the little village of Monte Pedrosu. A convenient 25 kms from Olbia, its supermarket, butcher, choice of 2 restaurants, cafe and a hairdresser more than adequately meet the immediate needs of the population in its vicinity, supplemented by the occasional traveling shop selling artisan products.

The rural community spreads east of the old coast road (now superceded by a motor way rolling south of Olbia further inland) towards the Capo Coda Cavallo where the granite rock is blanketed in spring by brightly coloured blossoms of the maquis vegetation, filling the air with the spicy aroma of lavender, thyme, myrtle and rosemary.

Back on the coast, there is a seemingly infinite choice of beaches and coves, some accessible by car and others only by foot, continuing around the promontory to the 3km stretch of white sand at San Teodoro. The "local beach" Cala Girgolu is an arc of sand framed by junipers and rose-coloured granite and any lack of facilities is made up for by a visiting boat selling gelato, cool drinks and heady espresso coffee from its deck. The seascape here is haphazardly scattered with uninhabited small islands and dominated by the Isola Tavolara, once a kingdom in its own right.

A "must see" is Cala Brandinchi, nick-named Tahaiti because of its exotic appearance with fine sand surrounded by resinous pine forest, but you will undoubtedly find your own favourite strand.

San Teodoro

Ten minutes drive from Monte Pedrosu and once a simple fishing village San Teodoro has reinvented itself and is now a popular resort with a pleasant laid back atmosphere for all but the month of August when even then the hustle and bustle of high season leaves the village's charm intact.

There's an excellent choice of restaurants and caf's for dining out or buy fresh pizza by the kilo and follow with delicious Sardinian ice cream eaten sitting under a palm tree on the Piazza Mediterraneo, observing the traditional evening "passagio" Italian families socialising in style.

San Teodore is most famous for its "La Cinta" beach - 3 kilometres of superlative white sands, backed by a lagoon populated with herons and pink flamingos and shelving gently into a shallow transparent sea. For the active there is a scuba diving centre, riding stables, bicycle rental, as well as tennis courts and a golf course and in high season, surf boards and sailboats for hire. An archeological museum displays many interesting artifacts including a well conserved small treasure of coins from the Punic age.

Mount Nieddu "the black mountain" rising imposingly inland offers rich pickings for nature lovers. Shy wild boar, martens and wild cats live amongst the typical aromatic Maquis vegetation and in the highest rocks rare peregrine and golden eagles make their nests as well as the more commonly spotted ravens and partridge. Small watercourses join together to flow over amazing waterfalls into natural pools

Sardinia Diving, Trekking & Climbing

Whilst many people are content to spend long lazy days on the beach, others will often crave exercise and action, CLICK HERE to see our Sardinia Diving pages.

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Sardinia

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