Discover secluded Sardinian beaches
The second-largest island in the Mediterranean is an Italian summer favourite. And that’s no surprise, with more than a thousand miles of coastline washed by turquoise waters. One of Sardinia’s stand-out beaches can be found in the northwest, near the old tuna-fishing port of Stintino. Spiaggia della Pelosa is a tongue of pale golden sand fringing the straits between Sardinia and a small group of offshore islands. One of them is crowned by a 16th-century watchtower, built during a period of Catalan rule (the language is still spoken in the walled city of Alghero, 30 miles to the south). The biggest of the islands, Asinara, is a national park. A visit here offers the chance to reach more remote beaches, as well as to meet the island’s famous albino donkeys. The coast south of Stintino brings further discoveries: the beach at Porto Ferro is a wilder stretch, popular with surfers, with its own brooding hilltop tower. The coast beyond is known as the Riviera del Corallo – the source of blood-red coral prized by jewellers, and whose harvesting is now strictly controlled. Coastal paths, scented by macchia (fragrant scrub), bring hikers to pocket-sized coves lapped by warm waters, and the chance to enjoy it all without the crowds.
5 A small cove just a short walk from Spiaggia della Pelosa in the northwest corner of Sardinia
PHOTOGRAPHS: JITSKE HAGENS, © JUSSI HELLSTEN/VISITHELSINKI.FI, RICCARDO SPILA/SIME/4CORNERS,