Beautiful and enjoyable

Beautiful and enjoyable

Protected and accessible paradises, or places that used to be off limits and that can now be visited in summer, or natural works of art that can only be admired from a distance

Sardinia has treasures of inestimable value and dazzling beauty: fabulous beaches kept safe inside protected marine areas, or 'locked' within military zones, that can be used but with limitations.

A natural masterpiece to be admired from a distance

You can admire the Pink Beach, an inestimable treasure on the island of Budelli, from ‘a safe distance’, like a work of art found in nature, accompanied by a guide from the Maddalena Archipelago Park. It is named after the colour of its sand, made of miniscule fragments of coral, granite and shells, including that of a pink micro-organism. The turquoise sea breaks on the reddish shore, with the colour and scents of the Mediterranean vegetation in the background. This treasure, unique in the world, enjoys integral protection – landing, swimming and anchoring are forbidden on the beach – and inspired Michelangelo Antonioni for scenes in ‘Red Desert’ in 1964.

Spiaggia Rosa

Near the Bocche di Bonifacio, to the northernmost tip of Sardinia, there exists one of the symbols of the Maddalena Archipelago, a wonder of nature...

You can dive in at Cala Sabina, but not in other paradises in Asinara

More than a cove, it is a natural pool with colour ranging from aquamarine to blue and light green. Cala Sabina is reached by sea, with regulations and permits issued by the authority that manages the Asinara Park, or by land, following the path rising from the village of Cala d'Oliva. One of the best protected treasures of the island is the one where swimming is allowed. And it offers an unforgettable experience: the sand is so soft it feels like flour and the water is so clear one can see daring fish swim up to you.

Cala Sabina - Asinara

On the island that represents the northwestern tip of Sardinia, protected by the national park, various treasures stand out, among which a bay of...

No limitations at Piscinas: it is protected by nature

At the end of a windy road wedged in a valley, between hills of mining deposits, the ruins of installations and ghost villages from the mining adventure, the intense brightness of a stretch of ochre-yellow sand appears. It is the pearl of the Green Coast, in the area of Arbus; it is one of the wonders of the Mediterranean; it is Piscinas. Very tall and curvaceous dunes, desert-like, shaped by the north-west wind, extend as far as the eye can see, from inland to the sea, covered with clumps of century-old juniper bushes with twisted branches, mastic trees and wild olives. Sardinian deer roam here, while sea turtles lay their eggs on the shore.

Piscinas - Costa Verde

This 'pearl' of the Costa Verde, in south-western Sardinia, is a dazzling yellow-ochre desert, stirred by the wind and dotted with...

An earthly paradise within the military zone

Porto Zafferano is a daytime dream of a holiday by the sea. Like dreams it is fleeting: a corner of paradise within the military area of Teulada. One can reach it only in July and August, only by boat, from the delightful beaches of Tuerredda and Porto Tramatzu. Its isolation contributes to the sensation of a place out of this world. There are not limits to the memories it leaves: it is a half-moon of white and fine grains with soft hints of pink thanks to the fragments of shell left by the waves. The soft sand is immersed in shallow waters with infinite shades of aquamarine. The mountains behind echo the outline of a sleeping woman.

Porto Zafferano

The last beach in south-western Sardinia is a corner of paradise with white sand, pale pink reflections and shallow water the colour of the sky,...

Another pearl from Teulada, part of which can be freely accessed, and in part only in summer

From Porto Tramatzu you can reach Porto Zafferano by boat, but before (and after) the exhilarating excursion, you should fully enjoy this other marvel of nature. The sand is beautifully white and soft, while the sea is green and turquoise with clear and shallow water for dozens of metres. And it is, so to speak, the 'city beach' of Teulada, although there are a few kilometres separating the two. In front of it the rocky profile of Isola Rossa stands out, covered in Mediterranean scrub. You can walk to it, with no need to swim, because the sea is not deep here. Part of the beach falls within a military area, but can be used in the summer months.

Porto Tramatzu

A tropical paradise on the southwestern extremity of Sardinia, a stretch of light sand washed by the crystal clear sea, with ultra-shallow waters...

The crystalline beauty of the forbidden paradise of Murtas

A marvellous stretch of the Sarrabus coast, and one of the most beautiful in the Mediterranean, within the military area of Salto di Quirra. After twenty years of being partially off-limits, since 2016 a larger area has been open to the public from June to September. The large beach at Murtas, also known as ‘di Quirra’ or s’Acqua Durci, is the forbidden (in part) ‘pearl’ of the Villaputzu coast and is a full six kilometres long, with light-coloured sand in medium and large grains, mixed with some smooth pebbles; it is hemmed in by large dunes, and is bathed by extremely clear, bright blue water.

Murtas

A long and beautiful beach in the territory of Quirra, on the south-eastern coast of Sardinia, an area partly closed for military reasons, but open...

A place of deafening silence, with an otherworldy feel

The shining white sand suddenly opens up before you after a long road framed by juniper bushes, pines and holm oaks. It feels like the setting of a fairy tale, but it actually exists. It is the oasis of Bidderosa: five small white sand coves, within a park of Mediterranean trees, on the Orosei coastline. Only a limited number of people are allowed in, from May to the end of October. If you cycle or walk, there are no restrictions, but you have to follow the rules that protect this magical enclave of calm and silence. You can even get here by swimming the short stretch from nearby Cala Ginepro: at low tide, the water is only a metre deep.