← Strictly Sardinia
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C
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Streetli Sardinia Podcast. I'm Claudia, the person behind the Streetlist Sardinia travel blog, this podcast and the Strictly Sardina Facebook community. If you've listened to last week's episode, the podcast I never planned to record, you'll know I took a little detour from my original plan. Instead of talking about Sardinia, I ended up talking about myself, how Strictly Sardinia came to be, and what goes on behind the scenes. Thank you to everyone who listened and sent me kind messages. It was by far the most personal episode I've ever recorded and I'm really glad so many of you enjoyed getting to know me. A little better than today though. We're back to talking about Sardinia and we're tackling one of the topics that generates the most questions, misconceptions and occasionally heated debates. The Emerald coast, the luxury resort area around Porto Cervo in northeastern Sardina. Now, before we start, make sure to see the episode description. That's where you find the link to my blog post about the Emerald Coast. The Emerald Coast. On the blog I go into more detail and you'll find hotel recommendation, tours and all the practical information you need to plan your trip. You'll also find a link to book a one hour consultation with me. If you've been researching Sardinia, you've most certainly come across the Emerald Coast. Porto Cervo, luxury yachts, designer boutiques, five star hotels, celebrities, exclusive beach clubs, crystal clear Water. If you ask someone who has never been to Sardina what they know about the island, chances are they'll mention the Emerald Coast. It's the image that has been sold to the world for decades. Which brings me to the question I want to answer today. Is the Emerald coast beautiful? Absolutely. Is it worth visiting? For many people, yes. Is it the best part of Sardinia? Well, that's much more a complicated question to answer because there is something that I tell clients during my consultations all the time. Someone books a call with me and says, claudia, we don't want the touristy Sardinia. We want authentic Sardinia. We want to experience the real island. Wonderful, I think. Then five minutes later they tell me they've already booked their stay in Porto Shervo or Porto Rotondo. And I usually laugh, not because I'm making fun of them, but because the two statements simply don't go together. If your idea of authentic Sardinia is Porto Cervo, I'm afraid you're looking in the wrong place. Now, before anyone listening gets offended, let me be clear. This episode is not about telling you not to visit the Emerald Coast. It's not about saying one part of Sardinia is better than another. And it's certainly not about criticizing anyone who enjoys luxury holidays. If staying in a beautiful resort, dining a Michelin starred restaurant, shopping for designer clothes and admiring spectacular yachts is your idea of a perfect holiday, then the Emerald coast may well be exactly what you're looking for. That's a absolutely nothing wrong with that. But I do think it's important to understand what the Emerald coast is and what it isn't. Because one of the biggest misconceptions I encounter is idiot. That the Emerald coast somehow represents Sardinia. It doesn't. It's one very specific side of the island, one that was deliberately created to appeal to an international luxury market. And if you leave Sardinia believing that Porto Cervo is the essence of the island, you've only seen once more chapter of a much bigger story. In fact, I'd go one step further. I rarely talk about Porto Celvo, Porto Rotondo on the blog, in my Facebook group, or in this podcast. The coastline certainly is gorgeous, but the towns themselves have never been places I found particularly interesting, and I know that's probably an unpopular opinion. Whenever I have friends who insist on visiting Porto Cello, I always take them there. It's their holiday, after all. But I also tell them what to expect. Don't expect a picturesque Sardinian village. Don't expect a lively historic center. Don't expect to spend hours wandering charming little streets. Porto Cervo is first and foremost a luxury resort. Much of what makes it exclusive is hidden behind gates, walls and Mediterranean vegetation. The spectacular villas aren't really there to be admired by passersby. The marina is impressive, especially if you enjoy looking at extraordinary yachts. But the town centre itself is essentially a collection of luxury boutiques, designer shops, cafes and restaurants catering to a very affluent international clientele. And do you know what the reaction usually is from my friends? People look at me and say, is this it? And I usually smile because I'd already worn them. If luxury shopping is your thing, you'll probably love Porto Cervo. If you're hoping to discover the soul of Sardinia, I honestly think your time is much better spent elsewhere. Places where you'll understand our traditions, our history, our food, villages, our relationship with the sea, landscapes, our way of life. The Emerald coast is part of Sardinia, but it isn't Sardina in its entirety. In fact, before we compare it with places like Mandalena Archipelago, Villasimius, Costa Rei, the Sinis Peninsula, San Teodoro, the Costa Verde and the Gulf of Jose, it's worth asking a simple what exactly is the Emerald Coast? Now, unlike Cagliari, Alghero, Villa Simius or Boza or many other places, it isn't a town. Unlike Galura or Barbaja, it isn't a historic region. And unlike places such as Costa R or the Gulf of Orose, it even isn't a geographical area in the traditional sense. The Emerald coast is is an idea, a vision, a luxury destination that was deliberately conceived and developed in the early 1960s around Porto Cervo. It didn't evolve naturally over centuries, over as a fishing village, a farming community or a market town. It was planned, designed, marketed, built and understanding. That explains almost everything about why it feels so different from much of the rest of Sardinia. That's not criticism. I simply mean to recognize that the Emerald coast was created with a very specific purpose to become one of the world's premier luxury holiday destinations. It succeeded beyond anyone's expectations. But it's important not to mistake that carefully created vision for the essence of Sardinia itself. And understanding that history explains almost everything about why it feels so different from the rest of the island. Now, let's go back to to the early 1960s when the emerald coast was created. At the time, the stretch of Galura's coastline was largely undeveloped. There were small farming communities, shepherds, granite outcrops, Mediterranean scrub and extraordinary beaches that very few people outside Sardinia had ever heard. Of then a consortium led by Prince Karima Ga Khan IV saw something extraordinary. Not just beautiful beaches, but the potential to create an exclusive holiday destination. Architects were brought in to design Porto Cerro from scratch. Street planning rules were introduced. Buildings were deliberately kept low rise and designed to build in to blend into the landscape using natural stones, soft colors and curved lines. Inspired by traditional galleries, architecture, marinas were built, luxury hotels opened, international celebrities began arriving. And little by little, the Emerald coast became one of the most famous luxury destinations in the Mediterranean. It was an extraordinary success, but it was also something entirely new. A destination conceived, planned and built to attract international rich clients looking for exclusivity and glamour. And that's exactly what it continues to do today. Understanding this is important because it explains why visiting Porto Cervo feels completely different from spending a day in a village in Barbagia, wandering around Carlo Forte, exploring boza, or chatting with any locals in any town in Sardinia. They are all Sardinia, but they are all very different expressions of it. One thing I'd like to make very clear is that I'm not saying the Emerald coast is fake. It isn't. It's very much part of the island. The beaches are real, the sea really is an extraordinary shade of turquoise, the granite rocks are unmistakably galleries, the vegetation is Mediterranean and the sunsets are spectacular. It's unreal. What isn't representative of Sardinia is the lifestyle that has developed around it. When people tell me they want to experience authentic Sardinia, I usually ask them what they actually mean. Sometimes, I don't know. Sometimes they say they want to eat traditional food, they want to meet locals, they want to get away from mass tourism. And then they tell me they booked a luxury hotel or villa in Porto Cervo. As I said before, at that point I usually smile. Because Porto Cervo wasn't built to show visitors everyday Sardinian life. It was built to offer an exclusive, exclusive Mediterranean lifestyle to wealthy international visitors. And these are two very different things. In fact, I sometimes joke with my clients that the most Sardinian thing they'll encounter in Porto Cervo is probably the Sardinians working there. The waiter is serving you dinner, the receptionist at your hotel, the gardener looking after the immaculate grounds, the chef preparing your meal, the skipper taking you out on a yacht, the housekeeping, sar stuff. Many of them are Sardinian. Many travel from nearby towns every day to work there. So the workers, yes, are Sardinian. But the luxury lifestyle surrounding them isn't something that reflects how most of us live on the island. And that's Fine. Not every destination has to represent local everyday life. Nobody goes to Beverly Hills expecting to understand everyday Florida. And nobody should arrive in Porto Cervo expecting it to represent the whole of Sardinia. The that's what not it was designed to do. Now, does that mean you should skip Porto Cervo? Not necessarily. If you've always wanted to see it, by all means, go. I certainly wouldn't tell anyone not to visit. In fact, I often create itineraries around the Emerald coast during consultations if one of my clients has it on their wish list. But I also make sure they know exactly what to expect. Personally, it's not a place I visit because I enjoy it. I go because it's part of Sardinia's story, because it's famous, and because I think it's important to see it with your own eyes before deciding what you think of it. Some people love it, some people are underwhelmed. I'm usually one of those. Give me a quiet village, a family run guest house, a local winery, or an empty beach over luxury boutiques and super yachts any day of the week. That's simply the way I like to travel. And that's why I don't spend much time talking about Porto Cervo at all. It's because I believe there are many other places in Sardinia that offer much richer understanding of the island, its people and its culture. However, I don't think it's necessary spending your entire holiday in Porto Cervo, especially if it's your first time in Sardinia, because there's so much more to visit beyond the Emerald Coast. One of the reasons I don't write about Porto Cevo is precisely because there's already thousands of articles, online magazines and Instagram accounts entirely dedicated to it. So I find it much more interesting to introduce people to places they may have never considered. Villages that still here still have a very authentic feel. Where Sardinian is spoken in the streets family Rana Griturismi where recipes have been passed through generations. Small wineries where the person pouring the wine is often the owner. Historic towns with centuries of history, Nuragi and archeological sites that predate the Roman Empire. Mountain communities that have preserved traditions unlike anywh else in Italy. And beaches that are famous simply because they're breathtaking and not because someone built a luxury resort behind them. That the Sardinia I find myself wanting to write about, not because it's better, but because I think it tells a much richer story about this island. And that really is the point I need to make. The Emerald coast is one chapter of Sardinia, an important one, a fascinating and glamorous one, but just one chapter. And if you spend your entire holiday there, you've only experienced one side of Sardinia. A beautiful one, an enjoyable one, but one. That's why I encourage people, especially first time visitors, to go beyond the Emerald Coast. If you're flying into Obia, spend maybe a day or two there, see Porto Cervo, walk around the marina, have an incredible lunch overlooking the city, sea, visit beaches. You might wonder what the fuss is all about. Or you might love it. I've seen both reactions. Personally, I think it's best as a stop on a broader itinerary rather than the destination itself. What you will love about Sardinia is the incredible variety of the coastline and the diversity you'll find in land. That's when you begin to understand why so many of us who live here love Sardinia so much. Now, within an hour drive, you find the most exclusive marinas and resorts. And then you'll find the shepherd making pecorino cheese using techniques that have been handed down through generations. And that's what makes Sardinia unique. So how does the Emerald coast compare to the rest of the island? Well, let's say you're planning your first trip to Sardinia. You've heard about the Emerald coast, as I said, but you've also come across names like Madalena Archipelago, Villasimius, Cosa, Reynolds, San Teodoro and the Gulf of. How do they compare? Well, let's start with the easiest one, the Maddalena Archipelago. If someone asks me whether they should spend a day in the Emerald coast or take a boat trip around Maddalena Archipelago, I tell them to choose Madalena Archipelago every single time. And I say that even though I really like the beaches of the Emerald Coast. However, the Madalena Archipelago is simply one of the most extraordinary places in the Mediterranean. A national park, a protected marine area, a collection of islands where the colors of the sea almost do not look real. When people imagine paradise, they're usually imagining a beach in one of the islands of the Maddalena Archipelago. Interestingly, Maddalena Archipelago attracts many of the same visitors off the Emerald coast. Luxury yachts anchor there every summer. But unlike Porto Cervo, the focus isn't on the marina, it's on nature, the landscape and is the star, not the lifestyle. Now let's move further south. San Teodoro, another place incredibly popular with first time visitors. People ask me if San Teodoro is anything like the Emerald coast. And no, not really. It's much more relaxed, lively in the summer, especially in July and August, it attracts plenty of tourists. People come here for the gorgeous beaches. La Chinta, Calabrandinki, Luing Posto. Long stretches of sand, shallow water, perfect for families. And they come here to spend a day hopping on a ferry, going to Tabolara Island. The atmosphere is more informal. There are beach kiosks, but not exactly luxury beach clubs. There are family run restaurants and pizzeria. People walking around dressed much more informally. It's still very much a holiday destination, but just different from the Emerald Coast. Then there's Villa Simius. And if I had to choose one place that combines spectacular beaches with a genuine Sardinian atmosphere, Villa Simeos would be high on my list. The coastline is extraordinary. You have beaches like Porto Junco, Punta Molenti, Simius, Cala Caterina. Each one with its own character. But what I like about Villa Simius is that it still feels like a real town. Although obviously it swells a lot in the summer. People live here year round. You'll find local cafes, children playing in the piazza, residents doing their shopping. It doesn't feel like a destination that is creative, exclusively for tourists. Then we have Costa Ri. Obviously I have a soft spot for it because I've been going there since I was a baby. And it's one of my favorite stretches of coastline in Sardinia. Not because it's glamorous, but because it's wonderfully uncomplicated. Its greatest asset is simplicity. A spectacular beach that stretches for kilometers with crystal clear water, plenty of space, a relaxed atmosphere. You don't go to Costa Rica to see and be seen. You go because you want to spend your days swimming in beautiful water, reading a book, walking along the shore and slowing down. It's one of those places that reminds you that you don't need luxury to have an unforgettable holiday. Though if you want luxury, that's an offer too. Finally, there's the Gulf of Oroseill. Someone asked me which part of Sardina best represents the island's wild beauty. This would be my answer. It's not a place about hotels or shopping. It isn't even about the villages, though there are really pretty villages here. It's about nature. Towering limestone cliffs, sea caves, hidden coves, beaches that you can only reach on boat or on foot. Cala Luna Calamariolo, Cala DEI Gabbiani, Cala Goloriz. Places that appear regularly on the list of most beautiful beaches in Europe. What I love about it is that despite its popularity, it feels untamed. Then there's The Sinis Peninsula. Most of you have never heard of it, and when I try to suggest visiting, you quickly dismiss it. But you don't know what you're missing. If you're interested in history as much as beaches, this part of Sardina is in a league of its own. You can spend morning exploring the ancient city of Taros, one of the island's most important archaeological sites, and the afternoon swimming at beaches such as Isarutas, famous for its tiny, coarse pebbles. The atmosphere couldn't be more different from the Emerald Coast. It's quieter, less developed, less about luxury. It's about landscape, history and nature. And the food. Oh, don't even get me started about how delicious it is. And last but not least, there's the Costa Verde. This is probably one of the wildest stretches of coastline in Sardinia. Long beaches backed by towering sand dunes, former mining villages, very little development, very few marinas, no luxury hotels. It's a part of the island that feels untouched. The Cosa Verde isn't for someone looking for beach clubs and luxury aperitivo overlooking super yachts. It's for people who enjoy dramatic landscapes, wide open spaces and feeling of being somewhere that still hasn't been shaped by mass tourism. And the beach is, well, again, stunning. So how does that mean that the Emerald coast loses this comparison? Not at all. It simply occupies a different place. If your dream holiday includes elegant hotels, beautiful marinas, fine dining, and a touch of glamour, the Emerald coast is difficult to beat. But if your priority is dramatic landscapes, unforgettable boat trips, hiking, traditional villages or beaches that almost feel untouched, then I honestly think other parts of Sardinia have to offer, have more to offer. That's why I always tell people to stop asking which is the best part of Sardinia and to ask yourself, what kind of holiday do I want? Because Sardinia isn't one destination, it's many destinations rolled into one island. And that's exactly what makes it special. So is the Emerald coast worth visiting? Absolutely. Would I recommend it? Yes. Would I build an entire first trip to Sardinia around it? Probably not, because I think Sardinia has much more to offer. If you spend a day in the Emerald coast, you understand why it became famous. But you'll also understand that this is a very specific vision of Sardinia centered around luxury. If, on the other hand, you're curious about the island as a whole, I'd encourage you to treat the Emerald coast as just one step stop on your journey, not the journey itself. Sardinia, after all, isn't just famous for one stretch of coastline. It's an island of over 24,000 square kilometers, where you'll find an extraordinary variety of landscapes, traditions and experiences. That's one of the things I love the most about Sardina, one of the reasons many of us locals love calling Sardinia home. And that's exactly what I hope you'll discover too. Now, before I finish, I'd like to leave you with one final piece of advice. If this is your first visit, don't try to take every famous place off your list. Don't spend your holiday racing from the Emerald coast to Calagolorice, then La Maddalena, then La Pelosa, then to Villasimius simply because social media tells you they are the places you must see. Slow down. Choose an area, get to know it. Leave yourself a reason to come back, because I can almost guarantee that once you've experienced Sardina properly, you want to return. Now, before I go, thank you once again for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, consider following the podcast and leaving a review. It really helps more people to discover Streetlist Sardinia. You can also visit streetlistardina.com where you'll find hundreds of free guides covering beaches, towns, hiking trails, archaeological sites, restaurants, itineraries, and just about anything you need to plan your trip. And if you're looking for personalized advice, you can always book one of my one hour travel consultations. The link for that is in the episode description. We'll talk about your plans together and afterwards I'll prepare a detailed itinerary tailored specifically to the way you like to travel. Next week we'll tackle another common misconception, Sardinia isn't a theme park. Now is that making you curious? And then, until next week, thank you for listening and goodbye.
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