Italy, Sardinia, Province of Olbia-Tempio, Santa Teresa Gallura, Capo Testa, granite peninsula

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Northeastern Sardinia

The Costa Smeralda evokes Sardinia’s classic images: pearly-white beaches and weird, wind-whipped licks of rock tapering into emerald seas. The dazzling coastal strip that the Aga Khan bought for a pittance is today the playground of millionaires and A-listers. Come summer, scandal-hungry paparazzi haunt the marinas, zooming in on oligarchs cavorting with bikini-clad beauties on yachts so big they eclipse the sun.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Landscape of the crystal clear waters of the main beach in Tavolara Island.

    Isola Tavolara

    Northeastern Sardinia

    Rising from the sapphire sea like some kind of giant sea creature, this rocky island is a sight to behold. The main draw is splashing about in the…

  • Compendio Garibaldino

    Compendio Garibaldino

    Northeastern Sardinia

    Giuseppe Garibaldi, professional revolutionary and all-round Italian hero, bought half of Caprera in 1855 (he got the rest 10 years later). He made it his…

  • Museo Archeologico

    Museo Archeologico

    Olbia

    Architect Vanni Macciocco designed Olbia’s strikingly contemporary museum near the port. The museum spells out local history in artefacts, from Roman…

  • Museo Etnografico ‘Olivia Carta Cannas’

    Museo Etnografico ‘Olivia Carta Cannas’

    Northeastern Sardinia

    Aggius is famous for its carpets, with a tradition dating back to the 1900s, when 4000 looms were busy in the area. This excellent museum showcases a fine…

  • Spiaggia Capriccioli

    Spiaggia Capriccioli

    Costa Smeralda

    Dotted with granite boulders and backed by fragrant macchia, this gorgeous half-moon bay has water that goes through the entire spectrum of blues and is…

  • Spiaggia Rena Bianca

    Spiaggia Rena Bianca

    Santa Teresa di Gallura

    The 'just like the Caribbean' comments come thick and fast when it comes to this bay – a glorious sweep of pale sand lapped by shallow, crystal-clear…

  • Rocky shore in Valle della Luna near Capo Testa, near Santa Teresa di Gallura, Sardinia.

    Valle della Luna

    Northeastern Sardinia

    A few kilometres northwest of Aggius towards Trinita d’Agultu, you reach the Valle della Luna. It’s a surreal and evocative landscape, where huge granite…

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Northeastern Sardinia and beyond

Beyond Northeastern Sardinia
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