Arzachena

Arzachena is the municipality of the Costa Smeralda. Its territory, one of the largest in Gallura, includes Porto Cervo, Cala di Volpe, Liscia Ruja, the Romazzino and Baja Sardinia: the names that since the 1960s have made north-east Sardinia one of the most exclusive destinations in the Mediterranean. But Arzachena is not just yachts and dream villas. The village itself, inland, is a Gallura settlement grown up around a church and a mushroom-shaped granite boulder; the countryside is dotted with stazzi farmsteads, Vermentino vineyards and some of the island's finest nuragic monuments. And the coast, broken into dozens of coves, has a sea that justifies every adjective.

From the nuragic people to the stazzi

Arzachena's territory has been inhabited for five thousand years. The Li Muri necropolis, with its megalithic circles, dates from the Neolithic and gave its name to a prehistoric culture, the Arzachena culture. In nuragic times the area was densely populated, as shown by the giants' tombs, nuraghi and villages that today form one of Sardinia's most interesting archaeological parks.

After centuries of abandonment caused by raids from the sea, in the 18th century the countryside was resettled by shepherds, many from Corsica, who lived in the stazzi, the isolated farmsteads typical of Gallura. The village of Arzachena grew in the 19th century around the church of Santa Maria della Neve, as a hamlet of Tempio, and became an independent municipality in 1922.

Everything changed in 1962, when a group of financiers led by Prince Karim Aga Khan founded the Costa Smeralda Consortium to develop some fifty kilometres of still empty coastline. Architects such as Luigi Vietti, Jacques Couëlle and Michele Busiri Vici invented a new style inspired by Mediterranean architecture, with hand-plastered walls, tiled roofs, arches and terraces among the rocks. Porto Cervo, Cala di Volpe, the Romazzino and the Pitrizza were born, and within a few years the Costa Smeralda became the holiday playground of the international jet set.

Porto Cervo

Porto Cervo is the heart of the Costa Smeralda: a small village built around a deep, sheltered natural harbour, with its piazzetta, designer shops, bars and restaurants overlooking the boats. The old port and the large marina host some of the biggest yachts in the world, and in summer the piazzetta is one of Europe's most fashionable spots. Above the village stands the church of Stella Maris, by Michele Busiri Vici, with its soft white forms: inside is a Mater Dolorosa attributed to El Greco. Out of season Porto Cervo is almost deserted, and you can walk among its buildings in silence.

Beaches

Arzachena's coast is a sequence of bays, coves and white-sand beaches among pink granite rocks. Capriccioli, divided into several coves by headlands of granite and maquis, is one of the most popular. Liscia Ruja, also called Long Beach, is the longest on the Costa Smeralda, with turquoise water and a shallow seabed. Spiaggia del Principe, reached on foot, was the Aga Khan's favourite. The Romazzino, Cala di Volpe, Grande and Piccolo Pevero, Rena Bianca and La Celvia complete a catalogue of sea with hardly any rivals.

Further north, Baja Sardinia, with its beach of Cala Battistoni, and Cannigione, the fishing village on the Gulf of Arzachena, have a more family atmosphere and are the starting points for boat trips to the La Maddalena archipelago.

The archaeological park

Inland from Arzachena lies one of Sardinia's most important nuragic complexes, visited on a single ticket. The Coddu Vecchiu giants' tomb has a great arched stele more than four metres high, carved from a single block of granite, and a semicircular forecourt. The Li Lolghi giants' tomb, on a small hill, also has a monumental stele. The La Prisgiona nuraghe, with its village of dozens of huts, is one of the most studied in Gallura, and the Albucciu nuraghe, built against a granite outcrop, stands right at the entrance to the village. The Malchittu temple, a small rectangular sacred building, stands in a landscape of wind-carved rocks. The Li Muri necropolis, with its circle tombs, is among the oldest prehistoric monuments in the area.

The village and the Mushroom Rock

Arzachena's centre gathers around Piazza del Risorgimento and the church of Santa Maria della Neve. Above the village rises Monte Incappiddatu, with the Roccia del Fungo, a large granite boulder shaped by the wind into a mushroom, the village's symbol and already used as a shelter in prehistory. The streets of the centre have craft shops, restaurants and wine cellars.

Festivals and food

The feast of the patron, Santa Maria della Neve, is held at the beginning of August with processions, singing and dancing. In summer there are food festivals in the hamlets and coastal resorts, while Porto Cervo hosts international regattas, including some of the most important in the Mediterranean. Gallura cooking brings suppa cuata, chjusoni pasta, lamb and suckling pig, cheeses and honey, and of course fish and seafood. The wine is Vermentino di Gallura, Sardinia's only DOCG, which gives some of its best results in the area's wineries.

Around Arzachena

From Arzachena you can reach in a few minutes Palau, with the Bear Rock and ferries to La Maddalena, and Santa Teresa Gallura on the Strait of Bonifacio. To the south are Olbia, with its airport and port, and San Teodoro. Inland lie Sant'Antonio di Gallura and Lake Liscia, Luras with its dolmens and ancient wild olive trees, and Tempio Pausania.

Getting there and when to go

Olbia Costa Smeralda airport is about half an hour away, as is Olbia port with ferries from the mainland. To get around the coast you need a car or scooter, and in summer it is best to set off early to find parking at the most famous beaches. July and August are the most fashionable and crowded months; June and September offer the finest sea with fewer crowds and more affordable prices. In spring and autumn the hinterland with its archaeological sites and stazzi is perfect for walking and cycling.

What to see

• Porto Cervo e la Costa Smeralda
• Necropolis of Li Muri
• Giants' tomb of Coddu Vecchiu
• Giants' tomb of Li Lolghi
• Nuraghe Albucciu
• Tempietto di Malchittu
• Cannigione
• Church of Santa Maria della Neve

Festivals and traditions

• Santa Maria della Neve, seconda domenica di maggioMay
• Sant'Antonio e Sant'IsidoroSeptember

Nearby beaches

• Liscia Ruja13 km
• Spiaggia del Principe15 km
• Capriccioli15 km
• Cala Coticcio, Caprera16 km
• Pittulongu, Olbia21 km

Nearby hikes

• Valle della Luna, Capo Testa28 km

Nearby towns

• Palau · 11 km
• Sant'Antonio di Gallura · 12 km
• La Maddalena · 15 km
• Luogosanto · 16 km
• Olbia · 20 km
• Golfo Aranci · 21 km
• Telti · 23 km
• Aglientu · 23 km

Sources: Grande Enciclopedia della Sardegna; ISTAT. Original texts by Gotosardinia.