National Geographic Traveller (UK)
DAY ONE BEACH LIFE & ISLAND-HOPPING
MORNING
First things first: this is an island in the Med, so you’ll want to get acquainted with a beach or two, and there’s no shortage of options. If you’re after the spray on your skin and the wind in your hair, make for Porto
Pollo, a world-class location for watersports, catering to novices and beginners alike.
For something more sedate, the Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast) — a 10-mile bump of coastline between the Gulf of Arzachena and the Gulf of Cugnana — has a host of beaches and high-end resorts, from the sandy sweep at Cannigione to the millionaire-magnet of Porto Cervo, with its many luxury yachts. When lunchtime approaches, head to the harbour town of Palau for a bowl of al dente spaghetti with fat mussels and baby tomatoes at Il Ghiottone.
AFTERNOON
Palau is itself a pretty spot, sitting in a cove between promontories, with a hilltop fortress that can be visited on a guided tour. Palau’s port is where you can join a car ferry (€60 [£51] return, with departures every half an hour) for the 30-minute crossing to the archipelago of La Maddalena. Made up of seven main islands, most uninhabited, the archipelago is a national park.
On alighting at La Maddalena, drive across a bridge to Caprera, where you can spend the afternoon hiking through pine forests, snorkelling in protected coves or just lazing on the beach and enjoying the fabulous sea views. Giuseppe Garibaldi, the famous Italian general, spent the last 26 years of his life on Caprera, and the simple, whitewashed house (Casa di Garibaldi) where he lived and died is now a museum.
EVENING
As the afternoon fades, drive back to La Maddalena, the archipelago’s ‘capital’. This is the place to rent boats to visit some of the other islands (such as Razzoli, where you might see turtles and seals, or Spargi, the most isolated of all), and its coastal road offers a very scenic drive.
It’s an elegant and vibrant town that deserves time in its own right, however, with pastel-coloured buildings set along quaint streets, and characterful shops selling clothes, jewellery and craftworks with a nautical theme. You’ll find plenty of ice cream parlours, cafes and restaurants, as well as atmospheric bars that are perfect pitstops for a glass of wine or mirto, the local liqueur. This is a place with a pleasant buzz — and you can take your time because ferries back to Palau run through the night.