Among dunes and cliffs overlooking the sea: images of Sardinia's green coast

Travelling up from the south west you arrive to an area well known for its mining past whose traces are imposed and have characterised a strong aspect. After the fabulous bay of Cala Domestica, one of the most beautiful in Sardinia, and the former mining village of Buggerru, you finally reach the beach of Portixeddu.

The coastal stretch that unwinds between Portixeddu and Torre dei Corsari takes the name of Costa Verde not for a coincidence. The traveler who reaches the area is completely surrounded by the green vegetation that covers the mountains and hills that slowly slope towards the sea, almost wanting to plunge inside it. Mediterranean scrub interspersed by olive grooves and secular junipers that come up to the sand dunes and appear to caress them folded by the mistral wind.

The Costa Verde is an incredible place of amazing emotions that remain in the hearts of those who live them. Along the coastline there are beautiful beaches, small coves, rocky gorges, walls overlooking the sea, real sand deserts reaching the sea. The strong mistral wind almost always hits the area. The sea is rarely calm and it has a rugged beauty. It is one of the preferred destinations for surfers. Especially in winter long and tall waves attract board lovers.

Going towards Torre dei Corsari you will be surprised by the virtual absence of signs of man. Among the beaches it is certainly a must see the beach of Piscinas, one of the most spectacular and unique beaches. It is framed by 3 km of sand dunes of up to 50 meters. The impact coming from the green and mountainous hinterland is stunning. A desert by the sea.

It is a real paradise. A never ending interchange of cliffs, golden sandy beaches and sand dunes covered with fragrant Mediterranean maquis. A spectacle to be enjoyed with our eyes, to stop in photographic images, one of the most beautiful places where you can do a video of Sardinia, one of the best views on the island. A land that is there to imagine and to be imagined.

The island within the island: Carloforte

The island of St. Peter has a volcanic origin and was known since antiquity as a safe port for sailors in the Mediterranean. Carloforte is the only town on the Island of San Pietro and can be reached by ferry everyday from Calasetta and Portovesme.

Its history begins at the time of the Maritime Republics when the inhabitants of the Tunisian island of Tabarka, who belonged to Genoa at the time, exacerbated by the continuous barbarian invasions accepted the invitation of King Carlo Emanuele III of Savoy to move on to the island of St. Peter in order to find shelter.

So as of 17 April 1738 a first group of tabarkinian settlers settled in St. Peter and started working on what will become the most important housing group: Carloforte, named in honor of the King of Savoy.

Its people, with ligurian origin, speaks a unique language, an archaic genovese influenced by and tabarkina and campidanese. The food, like the language, is different from the traditional Sardinia.

During the summer season the population is multiplied and Carloforte becomes a good basis for the tourists who want to stay quiet and enjoy their holidays in Sardinia.

Carloforte is well equipped to accommodate its hundreds of visitors and offers a complete list of facilities. As in many other tourist towns if you would like to choose a holiday house in Sardinia the town of Carloforte may be the ideal solution.

The city has low buildings and narrow alleys, typical of sea villages and, particularly, of Ligurian villages. Starting from its beautiful promenade, which in the evening becomes a meeting and walking you arrive at the main pier where the ferries dock. Here it is piazza Carlo Emanuele III, at whose center stands a monument in honor to the king of Savoy, located nearby is the church of San Carlo built in 1738. Along the characteristic carruggi (small alleys) and heading towards the center you arrive to the Castello district, where you can see the ancient city walls, the fort and the Lion's door.

Just outside the town are the astronomic observatory which deserves to be visited because it has ideal conditions for observing the sky, and the weather station, while, on the other side of the island on Cape Sandalo is the lighthouse. The latter is located in the westernmost tip of the island. A paved path allows you to look at the scene of a large rocks overlooking the sea. From here you can enjoy an unforgettable scene.

Following street directions all beaches are easily reached by land. Departing from the port in direction south you reach the beaches of Spalmatoreddu and Giunco, followed by Seccano, the small bay of Girin and the small beach of Punta Nera, with a beautiful sea cave. Alongside this is the most famous beach, the Bobba, with a unique white sand.

In Carloforte there is no shortage of special events such as the recall of Tabarkinien couscous festival (called after the tradition carlofortina cashcà variant of couscous-based meal cooked in steam and enriched with vegetables cooked separately) in April, and Girotonno, at the end of May, appointment cult for connoisseurs of quality tuna.

The tuna caught in the local tuna traps is consumed in all variations. From Tuna you do not throw anything away: bottarga is derived from eggs, musciamme from the fillet. Even today, the tuna is skillfully worked by the hands of "tonnarotti" craftsmen in respect of the most ancient traditions.

Another typical dish is the carlofortinean farinata, based on chickpea flour, water and oil cooked in the oven, that you can taste in most of the local pizzerias. Among the sweets there are the Panetti with figs, the giggeri and the canestrelli.

Farm houses in Sardinia

In the selection of a vacation in Sardinia you must be able to find a good balance between characteristic factors, such as the cost of transport that is becoming more and more relevant in the overall cost of the vacation, and the type of accommodation and location of the accommodation. I want to talk about the selection of a farm house to spend your vacations in Sardinia. A solution that I believe can create a perfect mix between a typical and cheap vacation and comfort.
Taking cue from the indications given by "Coldiretti", we arrive at a definition of what may become a vacation on a farm house trying to get away from possible surprises, if not explicitly scams. To walk in the open air, taste the local cuisine, a total escape, to keep a pace of life with less haste and no need to do everything, to spend a holiday immersed in the local culture and not in the middle of the crowded location ... these are the main features of the vacation on a farm house in Sardinia.
Certainly, there are some things to add to the idea that people used to have about the farm houses: at present this type of structure is adequate to the demands of comfort and services of demanding clients. This is the reason why more and more rural houses have become real structures thought for the tourist and not according to the farm. Furnished rooms with all services, swimming pools, well-kept common services, among many others. And this is why there was the need to propose a classification for "wheat" (such as the "stars" of the hotel) according to the quality of farm house.
It is also important to say that the farm houses in Sardinia, on average, are always full during the summer season, and proposed themselves in the tourist segment summmer - sea, and in most cases one of the expected features from rural stutture is their proximity to the sea, in addition to a typical cuisine and the presence of a certain standard of quality.
Last but not least is the necessity to be very careful in the choice of accommodation for the vactions taking into account not only the price factor, very important of course, but also the reliability of the seller. The advice is to always carefully check on the internet or agency, as much as possible, that there is a reasonable correlation between communication and promotion of the farm house chosen for the vacations in Sardinia and the reality itself. In order to avoid awful surprises on the spot, a very interesting assessment are the reviews of customers who have already visited the structure.
In Sardinia the farmhouses are a reality present in all provinces, with a good percentage of facilities in rural and mountain areas. Most farm houses in this region have their own production and offer tourists not only a local cuisine but also other initiatives and situations that highlight even more the genuinity of the proposal. We are thinking about cooking courses, training on the natural color of fabrics through the essences of plants, the real inclusion in the workforce of tourists, in more specific option of working vacation. In general the choice of a farm house in Sardinia is a good option for vacations in the island, it is always limportant not to expect 5-star services or situations more specific to hotel accommodations.

Sardinia between Blues and Jazz

"Red Rock and Blues", "Time in Jazz", "The boundaries between Sardinia and Jazz", "Narcao Blues", "European jazz expò" to quote the most familiar names. Musical events like these have been going on for several years now, usually during the summer season. The jazz and the blues are the protagonists in Sardinia together with other groups that enliven the evenings of different reviews.

There are so many tourists (and Sardinian people as well) enthusiasts as well as curious, who move from one location of the island to another in order to attend these events. There are those who decide to take part in a single concert spending the day in the location. There are others who'd rather choose to spend more days in the location where concerts are held.

Many people who choose to spend their vacations in Sardinia, spend most of the day on the coast and or almost exclusively to relax by the sea and the beautiful beaches that Sardinia offers. Many others want to know the rest of the island, the hinterland, hidden and authentic. The other Sardinia. It is possible to find places very different among them, rich and suggestive for their unique natural and cultural features.

A real opportunity to know a beautiful area of the island, to taste the flavors, fragrances, colors and especially the sounds, Time in jazz, the festival of jazz music conceived and organized by the famous Sardinian trumpeter Paolo Fresu. It is surely one of the most renowned in Sardinia. The concerts are held in unusual and fascinating frames, in the mountains, near lakes, in front of rural churches, in small squares of towns or in locations such as the regional museum of wine. It is difficult not to be kidnapped and involved in the music. The atmosphere is unique and the simultaneous presence of natural sceneries, musical notes and people is magical.

The festival is held in the second week of August in Berchidda, historical region of Logudoro in the border with Gallura, central-northern Sardinia. The town, clinging on the slopes of Mount Limbara, is surrounded by woods and vineyards of giogantinu and vermentino, immersed in the mountains near the lake Coghinas. The area has a discrete quantity of accommodation facilities for those who want to stay close to places of Time in Jazz, of course, booking well in advance considering the amount of requests.

In Berchidda and in the neighboring towns such as Pattada, Monti and Oschiri there are some hotels, bed and breakfast and farm houses as well. A few kilometers away are located coastal renowned location as Budoni, San Teodoro, Olbia and the Costa Smeralda. These are locations with lots of facilities where it will be certainly easier to find a place to stay. San Teodoro, in particular, offers many real possibilities of accommodation to suit all tastes, residences, hotel, camping and a large quantity of houses for rent.

The capital of the Archipelago

La Maddalena is the biggest island of an archipelago consisting of seven main islands (La Maddalena, Caprera, Santo Stefano, Spargi, Budelli, Santa Maria and Razzoli) and other smaller islands, which develops off the coast of Gallura. The small city of La Maddalena developes in the south coast of the main island in front of Palau which is just 15 minutes by ferry.

Founded in 1770 in the area where there was a fishing village, this orderly and sunny city attracts every year a good number of visitors, representing one of the top travel destinations in Sardinia. The military base has lost much of its strategic importance considering that the U.S. support base located on the island of Santo Stefano, which has represented the main economic resource for at least a century, has been finally divested in January 2008. The tourist vocation of the area is being relaunched.

The charm of the sea permeates every corner and streets of La Maddalena. The old town is a fascinating combination of stairs and alleys and pleasant stroll amoung buildings and nineteenth century paved alleys. The village is spread around Piazza Garibaldi framed by caffes, locals and the City Hall. Near Via Vittorio Emanuele developes the fishing port and tourist resort of Cala Gavetta. Then along the waterfront, you reach the district of Moneta, a bustling fishing village. From here through the homonymous bridge that connects the island of Caprera, where it is worth visiting the home of Garibaldi.

The beaches, real pearl of the archipelago, and the island of La Maddalena in particular, are numerous. Driving along the scenic road that runs along the coast, for about 20 kilometers, you discover amazing landscapes that melt the blue sea to the Mediterranean green vegetation. From Cala d'Inferno to Cala Frances, the beach of Cardellino to the beach of Testa del Polpo and so on, you discover real corner of paradise: pink sand beaches lapped by a clear water sea all surrounded by sculptures of pink granite and Mediterranean vegetation.

Bosa: the city by the river Temo

Bosa is a medieval village of 8,000 inhabitants climbed on a hill dominated by the ancient castle which overlooks the whole village. It is located on the northwest coast of Sardinia, in the region of Planargia and crossed by the river Temo, the only navigable river of the island.

Coming to Bosa you will first see the River Temo. Along the left bank the buildings Sas Conzas reflect into the river (warehouses once used for tanning and the manufacture of leather). The Old Bridge connects this part with the right bank, on which the city stands. The excessive exposure to the dangerous Saracen raids gave the city the impetus to be perched on the slopes of Colle di Serravalle in order to protect the fortress built in 1112 by the Marquis Malaspina, feudal lords of the village.

The late-medieval area called Sa Costa (the ribs) consists of paths made of basalt and pebbles that follow the curves drawn from the hill interrupted in an asymmetrical way by staircases in trachyte. The living spaces of the old village houses have grown vertically with steep internal stairs linking one room per floor dug into the rock. These houses, often enriched with decorations in red trachyte, have two revenue plans that allow a staggered entrance from the road and another from upstream.

Here and there between the squares and streets you will also see churches. Inside the castle walls is Nostra Signora de sos Regnos Altos that arouses interest for the extraordinary cycle of fourteenth century frescoes found inside. The second weekend of September is devoted to celebrations in her honor. A procession unwinds through the streets of the village decorated with flowers, leaves and flags.

On Corso Vittorio Emanuele, located in the lower part of Bosa and for this reason called Sa Piatta, the houses are all oriented towards the north and arranged in rows parallel to the river Temo, built during '800 with vibrant colors and pastel-iron balconies in wrought iron.

Bosa offers tourists a range of possibilities that make it enjoyable all year round. The sun, the sea, fishing, river, an hinterland comprising rocky areas, forests of corks, holm oaks and Mediterranean vegetation inhabited by various species of birds under extinction (griffon, Bonnelli's eagle, beaver, the sparrowhawk and peregrine falcon). And yet the well known malvasia, fortified wine (sweet or dry) and used for cooking filet, the ancient art of embroidery lace handed down from mother to daughter until today.

Bosa can also boast one of the most famous and valuable treasures in Sardinia: the sea with its beaches including Bosa Marina and the nearby locality of Porto Alabe.

The Costa Verde

The Costa Verde stretches on the west coast of Sardinia for about 47 kilometers. It starts on the north part of Buggerru, in Cape Pecora, and continues until the beach Pistis. It is a succession of long and beautiful beaches occasionally interrupted by rocky coves, dark and imposing cliffs that descend to the sea and deserts of sand that alternate with fragrant maquis.

This extraordinary stretch of the western coast of Sardinia has remained almost entirely untouched, despite the exploited mineral deposits in many parts of this area. The former mining localities of Buggerru, Masua and Nebida are now trying to convert their past activity in tourist attractions and are also trying to become centers equipped with bathing services. An oportunity to create a bridge between past and present and offer tourists a unique holiday.

The name of this coast comes from the presence of a rich vegetation of lentisk, broom, trees and junipers that descends from the mountains to the sea among valleys and dunes of sand. The mountains and shrubs are often shaped by the mistral wind, the true king of this coast. It is not rare to find junipers and other shrubs bent almost to the ground as if wanting to caress it.

Thanks to the constant presence of the wind the beaches of this coast are attractive for surf lovers. The hot spots and the most popular beaches are Piscinas, Scivu and Buggeru, but also Tunari (Porto Palma), Torre dei Corsari and Portixeddu are sought after.

The area still remains a real paradise for lovers of lonely beaches. It is also possible to camp freely (with discretion). In the heart of the Costa Verde is the beautiful beach of Piscinas, which serves as background of a vast area of protected sand dunes high up to 100 meters and rich vegetation. It almost seems a desert by the sea. Given the isolation of the most part of this coast, reaching it is not easy. Without a good means it is impossible to get there.