Southern Sardinia: where blue waters and pristine beaches meet la bella vita
This adventure started out like so many: “Where should we take the kids,” “I want sun and sand and a place where we can really relax.” My wife and kids were pulling for Hawaii, and I have to admit that I started scheming right off the bat. With the excitement building for the Pacific, I started to lay my argument out for the Mediterranean as the better alternative. Why? Because I simply love Italy and I knew that Sardinia would not only deliver on the mandates of incredible water and pristine beaches but that it would also come with that quintessential “la bella vita” that we all crave – incredible food, delicious wine, the beautiful and poetic language of Dante Aleghieri….. well, those are certainly the attributes that I crave.
An alternative to the Pacific and the Caribbean that comes with remarkable history and all the benefits of the Italian lifestyle.
Sardinia it was. Now to decide where on the massive island to visit. After consultation with my Italian friends, we chose the southern coast. “That area has been developed by Italians, unlike the North,” they assured us; the famous Costa Smeralda on the island’s northern coast was primarily known for the lavish boating lifestyle of the Aga Khan. “But the southern region is the true Sardinia.”
We chose the Chia region because it offers some of the most famous beaches and the relaxed vacation vibe the family was searching for. It also gave us convenient access to attractions east, west and towards the interior of the island. For our vacation it was the Setti Ballas community anchored by the Chia Laguna resort.
Setti Ballas is a wonderful little hamlet of beautiful homes clinging to the mountainside overlooking the Chia coastline. The peace and quiet was palpable. Combine that with an endless and abundant variety of flowers seemingly growing on walls and a panoramic view of the coastline, and you end up with a beautiful place to call home for your vacation. Many villas seem to be first or second homes, others available for vacation rental. We found ours through Airbnb and couldn’t have been happier with our Villa Floridiana choice. A commanding view of the Chia coastline, infinity pool, lovely garden, lawn area and patio and plenty of room inside, plus the quintessential mini courtyards, all created light and an open feeling. Our host, Simo, was amazing, as well as the team responsible for managing the house. Every need met and not one wrinkle during our time there (except for getting used to the complicated garbage separation and pick-up schedule – welcome to Italy).
The region is essentially the southernmost point of the island and includes a resort vibe but with a distinctly Sardinian flare.
Stunning blue waters, rocky cliffs and hearty vegetation clinging to the hillsides. The rugged landscape of dramatic slopes of rounded boulders, outcroppings and greenery are captivating. They create contrasts in color, texture and perspective that echo other places around the globe but also seem so unique to this place. I was reminded of Southern Utah and even parts of the big island of Hawaii – but just echoes of those places. The landscape is so compelling it unmistakably speaks to the dynamic and enterprising Sardinians. As you explore deeper, you see a vitality of life that expresses itself in amazing ways; the oldest known wine varietal in the world, some of the oldest living humans on the planet, all surrounded by an ocean that is an almost indescribable palette of blues, deep greens and turquoise hues.
The coastline provides hidden coves, caves and outcroppings that create stunning beaches to explore – and some very interesting names to boot: Onion Cove (Cala Cipola), Cove of the Dead (Cala del Morto), Jewish Beach (Spiaggia Sa Giudeu), Bell Dune Beach (Spiagga di Campana Dune) just to name a few. Some beaches provide chairs, umbrellas, food services and other essentials like changing rooms and bathrooms. There’s plenty of people watching to do in these options and they’ll cost you some dollars to rent the “ombrellone” (big umbrellas) and chairs, but we gravitated to the less populated and remote options most often.
To the east of Chia is Cagliari, the capital of the Italian region and to the west is the island of Sant’Antioco. Both offered us the opportunity to explore different characteristics of the destination.
Cagliari was our first entry point to Sardinia and after a quick flight from Rome, we kicked off our island adventure enthusiastically. The city has the typical balance of industry and history. The historic downtown has what everyone might expect: piazzas, historic churches and markets (we enjoyed Mercato Di San Benedetto one morning). Although we didn’t spend a lot of time in Cagliari, we certainly got the sense that there was plenty to do and see. We did revisit the city during our stay and really enjoyed our pranzo (lunch). We found the Sa Schironada restaurant by accident and felt confident based on very positive Yelp reviews. The baked Sardinian pecorino on toasted Italian bread kicked off our lunch adventure – an unbelievable combination of regional specialties with the right crunch and creamy, unctuous textures. The Culurgiones (house-made ravioli with potato in a marinara sauce) and pasta con vongole e bottarga (clams and fish eggs) were our primi choices. We had the pleasure of meeting the woman who made the Culurgiones as she sat with her son for lunch.
An adventure to the island Sant’Antioco in the southwestern corner of Sardinia gave us the opportunity to experience driving the rugged southern coast. With countless twisty turns and harrowing switchbacks carved into the cliffside, we hesitated to pull off and take in the sights. But the beauty won the moment and we found ourselves pulled over and captivated with stunning panoramic vistas. The layers of cliffs, coastlines, clouds and coves were almost too amazing to process. We could see our destination off in the distance and couldn’t wait to discover more.
The “city” of Sant’Antioco is a lovely, seaside hamlet with tree-lined streets, interesting shops and restaurants. If you drive, be sure to follow the rules and pay for parking – I found out the hard way that getting a “multa” (fine) in Sardinia can be a complicated process. Despite a nice conversation with the parking attendant, I found myself spending hours trying to pay it before we left. Just another challenging reality when traveling to Italy, or any other European country for that matter.
With views of the Mediterranean and Isola Vacca (cow island) in distance, Torre Canai was a highlight of our trip.
It’s one of the hundreds of towers built primarily by the Spanish to defend Sardinia; they’re sprinkled throughout the coastline and stand as a reminder of the layers of history of the island. Many are restored and have been repurposed throughout their hundreds of years of history – the very nice lady at Torre Canai recounted a story about how fisherman would use the towers to spot schools of tuna. Our trip back to the villa led us to the small town of Teuladda for pizza – I chose the pizza della casa with mozzarella, gorgonzola, olives and capers and complemented that with local red wine – the vino della casa is always a smart choice in Italy. We Americans are trained to think that the wine list is the way to go. In Italy, however, the house wine offers great drinkability and is often the best value.
The pace of life in Chia was exactly what we were looking for.
Some days we decided to just hang at the house and enjoy the pool and some homemade lunch and dinner options – always opting for wonderful local meats, cheeses and wine to feel “at home” here. Other days we found ourselves getting lost on the coastline or hiking the rocks in search of the next jaw-dropping view. Still others we just lounged at the beach until cocktail hour soaking in the sun and sky and never resisting the urge to dive into the crystal-clear water. Bring snorkeling masks and pack them every time you head out to the coast – the water temperature is incredibly inviting, and the underwater views vary from pristine sand to rock outcroppings with aquatic life too varied to describe.
A favorite for me was the early morning hikes along the coastline. One morning I headed toward Dune di Campana and Torre Chia, built in 1600 by the Spanish to defend against the Ottoman Empire. I was struck by the sunrise and Sardinian sky. It seemed almost unreal, changing every minute with different shades of color and contrasting hues. The hike to the tower afforded me a perspective back towards Chia and our Sette Ballas community.
Another morning the hike brought me to the rocky outcropping above Cala Cipola with views to the lighthouse Faro Capo Spartivento in the distance. The smooth, rounded boulders were covered with bright orange lichen glowing in the morning sun. Faro Capo Spartivento was built in 1854 has been transformed into an exclusive hotel and event facility. A target of the American forces in WWII, it offers commanding views of the coastline and still assists sailors in navigation. We happened to be there at a time when the hotel was not open – we hiked up the treacherous drive one afternoon for a cocktail before we realized our mistake. The views, roaming goats and afternoon sun temporarily satisfied our cravings and compensated for our miscalculation.
The surrounding hamlets afforded us countless opportunities for adventure.
The little hamlet of Pula offered my three eldest and I an opportunity to walk back in time. We explored the Nora archeological site, which saw its beginnings 800 years before Christ and featured layer upon layer of human history in the Mediterranean. The Roman presence is certainly felt the most. The streets in Nora were a Roman improvement on Phoenician thoroughfares, and remnants can be seen above and below the waters of Capo Pula. They also built Domus (large homes), theaters and bath houses (not surprisingly). We loved seeing how one ancient civilization leveraged the previous, always improving and progressing.
Our lunch at Pizzeria Giancarlo made a perfect day even more memorable. Even though we were craving pizza and found out they didn’t serve it for lunch, we ended up with a remarkable lunch adventure. Pasta con vongole, malloredus with sausage and tomatoes all served family style. And the Seadas desert – semolina fritters filled with cheese, deep fried in olive oil and topped with local honey – was to die for. Pula, with its waving, colorful flags flying above main street and the overflowing purple flowers cascading down almost every wall, was really pleasant and certainly worth a visit.
Among our other favorite adventures was an escape underground to Grotte Is Zuddas, dating back hundreds of millions of years and featuring countless major rooms to explore and endless passageways, nooks and crannies.
The obligatory stalagmites and stalactites were highlighted with rare forms of crystals that have scientists fascinated. Many of the formations come to life with the guide shedding a little light on the shapes to reveal echoes of other things like pipe organs and other familiar images.
Another highlight was booking a Pesca Turismo (fishing tourism) on the Jessica in Porto Teuladda. Captain Franco, his wife and expert chef Daniela and their first mate were tremendous hosts and treated my family as theirs. The idea behind Pesca Turismo is quite simple – experience fishing Sardinian style, see and dive into some of the most amazing coastal waters not reachable in most cases from land and enjoy the fruits of the sea for lunch. Top that off with some wine, desserts and the Sardinian digestif Mirtu and you’ve got a winning combination.
Even though our boys initially thought they were actually going to fish with rods and reels, their disappointment was soon followed by entertainment and enjoyment starting with the three octopus caught in nets by the first mate. While the crew prepared our lunch, we dove off the boat and swam in coves and secluded beaches like Porto Scudo, Porto Zafferano and Porto Americano. The rocky coastlines and deep, clear blue waters of the southernmost point of the island (just 125 miles from Africa) were stunning. Lunch was onboard and family-style with the catch of the day. Pasta with shrimp and octopus, followed by a stew of fish, then two kinds of octopus salad (one with onions, plum tomatoes and capers, the other deep fried) and plenty of red wine, water and Coca Cola. The day was topped off with another misstep on my part – I never checked to see if they take credit cards. This just gave Franco an opportunity to treat us as a part of the family again, and we met in downtown Teuladda after the fishing adventure at an ATM machine. Such nice people.
Some of the best experiences and memories for us are always around a table as a family. It seems that food and drink bring out the best of us and Sardinia did not disappoint.
Some of our favorites included the roast suckling pig served in a Sardinian cork bowl at La Mirage, the exceptional pizza and open air dining under garden lights at Crar e Luna just a short walk from our villa and the two Agriturismo options we discovered in the region. No matter where you are in Italy try and find an Agriturismo – you’ll not only experience the most authentic and honest cuisine typically served family-style, but you’ll also find the locations and restored farms to be incredibly charming and perfect places to gather around the table together. Il Piccolo Ranch certainly stood out; a stray horse from their equestrian center helped us find our destination and we were greeted by all kinds of bleating and cawing animals; ducks, goats, pigs, roosters and chickens. We started with grilled ricotta over arugula and Sardinian honey drizzled on top, followed by stuffed shells Sardinia style and then the mixed grill featuring sausage, lamb, goat and beef.
We found that eating out in most cases was far less expensive than in the US. Partly because of the house wine as mentioned previously and because Italians tend not to order cocktails before dinner, but also because of where we visited. I just think that Southern Sardinia is still relatively “under the radar.” The food was plentiful, delicious and reasonably priced.
As our Sardinian adventure drew to a close, I discovered it’s not the destination that matters, it’s the people you share the adventure with. We all found what we were looking for and found the blessing of having shared it together. Think about the island of Sardinia the next time you want to make memories – all the ingredients are there for a wonderful and beautiful life.
