Northeastern Sardinia

Back in 1962, flamboyant millionaire Karim Aga Khan established a consortium to buy a strip of unspoiled coastline in northeastern Sardinia. Each investor paid roughly US$25,000 for a little piece of paradise, and the coast was christened Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast) for its brilliant green-blue waters.

These days billionaire jet-setters cruise into Costa Smeralda’s marinas in mega-yachts like floating mansions, and models, royals, Russian oligarchs and balding media moguls come to frolic in its waters.

Starting at the Golfo di Cugnana, 17km north of Olbia, the Costa stretches 55km northwards to the Golfo di Arzachena. The ‘capital’ is the yachtie haven of Porto Cervo, although Porto Rotondo, a second marina developed in 1963, attracts plenty of paparazzi with its Silvio Berlusconi connections and its attractive seafront promenade.

Inland from the Costa Smeralda, the mountain communities of San Pantaleo and Arzachena offer a low-key counterpoint to the coastline's glitz and glamour.

Established in 1996, Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago di La Maddalena consists of seven main islands and several smaller granite islets off Sardinia's northeastern coast. Over the centuries the prevailing maestrale (northwesterly wind) has helped mould the granite into the bizarre natural sculptures that festoon the archipelago. The spectacular seascapes of La Maddalena's outer islands are best explored by boat, although the two main islands have plenty of charm with their sun-baked ochre buildings, cobbled piazzas and infectious holiday atmosphere.

San Teodoro has some truly glorious beaches, many of which can easily compete with the Costa Smeralda in the beauty stakes. Central Cala d’Ambra is pretty, but more striking still is Spiaggia La Cinta, 2km to the north, a ribbon of frosty-white sand strung between the topaz sea and the Stagno San Teodoro. It’s a popular sports beach, particularly for kitesurfing. Or take your beach towel 9km further north to the stunning crescent-shaped bays of Lu Impostu or 1km further on to ‘Little Tahiti’ Cala Brandinchi, separated by a wooded spit of land. Commanding fine views of the limestone hump of Isola Tavolara, Capo Coda Cavallo, 13km north of San Teodoro, is a marine reserve and its transparent waters bubble with snorkellers and divers.

Elevated above the hot Gallurese plain and surrounded by dense cork woods, Tempio Pausania (known to locals simply as 'Tempio') stays cool and calm even in the height of summer. Joint capital of the Olbia-Tempio province, it’s an unpretentious spot with a rustic historic centre and a laid-back pace of life.

The town was founded by the Romans in the 2nd century BC, and was developed to become an administrative centre of the medieval Giudicato di Gallura. Tempio Pausania’s heyday came under the Spanish and then the Savoys, when many of the churches that adorn the town’s grey stone centre were constructed. These days it’s a relaxed place to hang out, and the surrounding countryside is perfect for touring. Nearby Monte Limbara provides numerous trekking opportunities.

Seven kilometres west of Palau, windsurfers and kitesurfers converge on Porto Pollo and the adjacent Isola dei Gabbiani (connected to Porto Pollo by a narrow isthmus), where stiff breezes and crystalline waters create the best conditions in Sardinia.

Along the beachfront you’ll find various outfits offering lessons and supplying gear for a whole slew of water sports, including windsurfing, kitesurfing, sailing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding.

Signposted as 'olivastri millenari', this delightful off-the-beaten-track nature reserve shelters a group of wild olive trees that have been growing for millennia. Scientists from the University of Sassari have calculated that the biggest, measuring 20m in circumference and reaching a height of 14.5m, is about 3800 years old. Certainly, it’s quite a specimen, its gnarled and twisted trunk writhing upwards like something out of Lord of the Rings.

Four kilometres west of Santa Teresa, this extraordinary lighthouse-topped headland resembles a vast sculptural garden. Giant boulders lie strewn about the grassy slopes, their weird and wonderful forms the result of centuries of wind erosion. The Romans quarried granite here, as did the Pisans centuries later.

Cantine Surrau takes a holistic approach to winemaking. Take a spin of the cellar and the gallery showcasing Sardinian art before tasting some of the region’s crispest Vermentino white and beefiest Cannonau red wines. Service can be spotty, but the wine is delicious.