Costa Smeralda

In 1961 a consortium led by the Aga Khan bought a stretch of empty coast in Gallura and developed it under a strict architectural code: buildings low, in local stone and earth colours, no high-rise, no billboards, roofs tiled or turfed, and a style invented for the purpose that borrowed from Mediterranean vernacular without copying any one source. Porto Cervo was built as the centre with a marina. The result is a coast of expensive low-rise resorts among granite outcrops and juniper, with coves of white sand. Public beaches remain accessible under Italian law, though parking and access roads are often controlled.

What you actually see

• The 1960s building code - low stone architecture invented for the coast.
• Porto Cervo - a purpose-built marina village and its harbour.
• The granite coves - white sand between rounded rock outcrops.
• The juniper scrub - wind-shaped vegetation between the developments.

When to go

May to June and September; July and August are extremely expensive and crowded. Much of the coast closes down entirely from October to April.

Honest expectations

Prices in high season are among the highest in the Mediterranean. Beach access is legally public but parking is often paid and limited. Off season it is largely shut.

Nearby

La Maddalena lies north; Capo Testa is northwest.