A successful history of tourism and territorial development. Find out how the Costa Smeralda ® was born.
4 May 2024
When in the 1960s the coastal areas of southern Italy were favored
The 5-star hotel La Coluccia in Santa Teresa Gallura is our Felix hotel on the sea. It is located in Conca Verde, a welcoming, sheltered little bay opposite Spargi Island, which is part of La Maddalena Archipelago. The perfect place for those looking for luxury and a relaxing stay a stone’s throw from the beach, the hotel features a spa and an outdoor swimming pool shaded by pine trees and surrounded by Mediterranean scrub.
What to do in Santa Teresa Gallura: excursions, nature, granite rocks and beaches.
Looking out towards the rocky shore of Corsica, Santa Teresa di Gallura is the northernmost town in Sardinia. It was founded in 1808 by King Vittorio Emanuele I of Savoy, and the name Santa Teresa is more a tribute to his wife than to the saint. Musts include Rena Bianca, a stretch of brilliant pure white sand, the Longosardo Tower, built at the behest of King Philip II of Spain, from where it seems as if you can touch the white cliffs of nearby Corsica, but especially Capo Testa, where over the millennia, the sea and wind have transformed the rocky landscape into a fascinating gallery of stone men and animals.
Towns to see around Santa Teresa di Gallura
Palau
This small holiday resort is situated in an inlet sheltered from the tramontana wind, looking out over the enchanting La Maddalena Archipelago National Park. Life in the town, founded in the late 19th century, revolves around tourism and the harbour. Summer evenings bustle with night life and events, while during the day, its little coves and beaches attract thousands of visitors. A few kilometres from the town is the enchanting little seaside resort of Porto Rafael, so named for its founder Count Rafael Neville de Berlanga.
La Maddalena Archipelago
La Maddalena Archipelago is an incredible natural and wildlife heritage – 5,000 hectares of land and 13,000 of translucent water protected by the National Park. Maddalena, once a fishing village, is the Archipelago’s main town and Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi is its heart, with a lively array of cafes and restaurants. The nearby island of Caprera is equally charming with the added attraction of the home of the Hero of the Two Worlds, Giuseppe Garibaldi, which is now a museum. The other islands, each with its own special charm, are almost uninhabited. Spargi owes its name to the wild asparagus that covers it in spring. Budelli is famous for its pink sand beach, Razzoli for its high granite cliffs and wild appearance. Santa Maria has few houses, and seagulls, herons and flamingos stop to rest in its pond.
Porto Cervo
Surrounded by some of the beaches considered among the most beautiful in the world, Porto Cervo in Sassari province, is the pearl of the Costa Smeralda. The old port dates back to the 1960s, when H.H. Aga Khan, captivated by the beauty of this stretch of coastline, had a brilliant idea when he decided to buy land in this part of Gallura, and together with the Swiss-French set designer Jacques Couelle, and later assisted by several Italian architects, he brought life to this paradise of elite international tourism. Sea, luxury, celebrities, yachts and night life are the main ingredients of Porto Cervo, a favourite meeting place for the international jet set. Its port is also home to the famous Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, the organizer of enthralling races and regattas.
Culture and archaeology: what to see
Nuraghi near Arzachena
As in all of Gallura, many fascinating archaeological sites can be found near our 5-star hotel La Coluccia in Santa Teresa. Discovered in the Sixties, the Lu Brandali archaeological site has been the subject of a number of digs. At the site, where there is also a museum, you can see the Giants’ Tomb and the Nuragic village, while at the rocky top of the area there is also a nuraghe with two towers.
What to do in Porto Pollo
Let the wind carry you away
In the centre of the island’s northern coast, there is a place beloved by windsurfers, a beach with a bizarre shape and vivid colours and crystal waters always caressed by the wind. A bay with turquoise waters and fine white sand completely surrounded by Mediterranean scrub. Halfway between Palau and Santa Teresa Gallura, near the mouth of the Liscia, and just before arriving at La Coluccia hotel in Conca Verde, Porto Pollo unites the mainland and the beautiful Isola dei Gabbiani by a narrow spit of sand.
The land of Vermentino
What to drink in Gallura
It is the soul of Gallura, a calling card of the northeast of the island, and carries with it a story of granite, Mediterranean scrub, sea and wind. Vermentino is a white wine that has put down roots so deeply as to be able to boast the title of Sardinia’s only DOCG wine, and to provide the area with a flourishing economy in the sector. Guided tours and tastings are available in many of Gallura’s numerous wineries. A complete range of Gallura wines, as well as hundreds of Italian and international labels, are available in the cellar of our Felix restaurants and that of hotel La Coluccia in Santa Teresa Gallura.
When in the 1960s the coastal areas of southern Italy were favored
In October, Sardinia still offers many opportunities to enjoy its natural beauties and cultural activities. And
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