Our motorcycle tour in northern Sardinia passes through the beautiful Gallura through some of the most beautiful villages and beaches on the island.
Departing from Golfo Aranci towards the South West, we went to discover the traditions and naturalistic beauties of the itinerary such as San Pantaleo, Tempio Pausania, Lake Liscia and the millenary Olivastri and then move on to the most beautiful beaches of La Maddalena and the places of most suggestive dive from Santa Teresa di Gallura to the Costa Smeralda: here is all the information.
Content index
- The most beautiful villages of Gallura
- Lake of Liscia and the millenary Olivastri
- The beaches and diving
- Itinerary and other information
Our starting point for this tour in Sardegna is Golfo Aranci where we arrived by ship from Livorno with Corsica Ferries and which, together with Olbia, is the easiest point to reach from the continent, even for those leaving from Genoa or Civitavecchia.
The most beautiful villages of Gallura
Before getting back on the saddle, da Golfo Aranci , we climbed to the top of Chief Figari, a path forbidden to motor vehicles, but reachable with an easy trekking of about an hour. I highly recommend it because the view is truly breathtaking. Then with the guys from Diving Figarolo, in addition to diving, you can go and admire the Dolphins who pass by here every day for sunset.
From the sea we went to the first peaks, precisely a San Pantaleo, a small village at the gates of the Costa Smeralda: it is the village of artists and flowers, the market and elegant boutiques, bohemian style and some scenes from a James Bond film.
What's Near Arzachena, you can visit the Albucciu nuragic complex, the Malchittu temple, the giants tomb of Coddu 'Ecchju and Li Longhi, the Li Muri necropolis and the nuragic village La Prisgiona.
Also luogosanto, deserves a short visit and here you can visit the historic center or the dozens of churches scattered around the countryside, but our heartfelt advice is addressed toHermitage of San Trano, from which you can enjoy a unique view of Gallura, and at Siddura Cellars, where one of the best wines in the area is produced.
Tempio it was the next destination, also called the city of stone due to the important presence of granite in the buildings and in the pavements of the streets. Not to be missed: the St. Peter's Cathedral, the ancient Railway station from 1930 with the vintage wagons and paintings by Biasi, il Wood of San Lorenzo with the Sources of Rinagghju.
A few kilometers from Tempio, I absolutely recommend you to visit also aggius, a characteristic granite village, Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club, famous for the manufacture of carpets and the rites of Holy Week not to be missed ethnographic museum and that of banditry. Driving around you will fall in love with the Piana dei Sassi.
Back towards the sea we could not fail to visit Santa Teresa di Gallura. tourist resort of great appeal. Its inhabited area is on a promontory between two inlets, in the eastern one there is the tourist port, dominated by the Longosardo tower. To the west is the beautiful city beach of Rena Bianca, one of the many coastal pearls of Teresine, the Promontory of Punta Falcone with the beach The Marmorata. Not to be missed: the panoramic path of Capo Testa with the Lighthouse and the Valley of the Moon, refuge of a hippie community from the sixties particularly fascinating for the pink and gray granite that dominates the scene.
The next goal was the famous one palau and its Bear's Rock: observation point on the wholeArchipelago of La Maddalena. Do not miss the promontory of Punta Don Diego with the Talmone military battery andIsuledda also known as Gull Island. From Palau we then took the ferry to visit La Maddalena and its postcard beaches. In this splendid seaside village you can also visit the Garibaldi Compendium e House of Giuseppe Garibaldi.
Lake of Liscia and the millenary Olivastri
Il Liscia lake is an artificial basin in the heart of Gallura that was born in the 60s, after the construction of the dam of the river of the same name. This particular water basin is embraced by the villages of Sant'Antonio di Gallura, Luras, Arzachena and Luogosanto and here it is even possible to sail by boat on wonderful Mississippi-style boats.
On the shores of Lake Liscia, after a short but easy dirt road, you reach the naturalistic site of the Millennial Olivastri di Luras. Inside you can see and touch two millenary plants, the first the "Patriarch" is a Natural Monument and is considered the oldest plant in Europe with an estimated age between 3000 and 4000 years, the second is over 2000 years old.
The beaches and diving
And now let's go back under the sea, why the beaches of Gallura are all beautiful, but in Golfo Aranci, for those who practice diving, you can dive in Capo Figari. Here, with the Diving Figarolo, we first explored the Siphon, one of the most suggestive cave dives of the cape, between lobsters and shrimps, and if that's not enough, they will also take you to Tavolara to immerse yourself on the famous Shoal of the PopeIf you are not a diver you can take a splendid dip in the blue of Cala Moorish or Cala Sabina.
Going towards Porto Rotondo we recommend the emerald beaches of Smooth Ruja, Petra Ruja, Race of Junco, Rena Bianca, just to name a few. While if you embark for La Maddalena do not miss the beaches of Cala Coticcio and Wreck.
A Santa Teresa di Gallura, in addition to the beach of La Marmorata, we recommend a dip in the beaches of Rena di Levante, Rena di Ponente and Big Cove. But here we have also opted for a beautiful dive among the rocks of the promontory with the diving experts of Orca Dive Club. A true spectacle of nature in between red corals and huge rocks, where we swam with groupers, huge scorpion fish and we even found ourselves surrounded by dozens of barracudas.
Last but not least, Costa Paradiso, where the scenery is totally rocky compared to the Costa Smeralda, it offers wonderful beaches such as Li Tinnari, The Marinedda e Li Cossi one of the most fascinating in northern Sardinia. Here you can also visit the seaside village of Isola Rossa, so called by the color of the islet in front of it.
All information on the most evocative places in Sardinia can be found on the official website of the Region: sardegnaturismo.it
Map and equipment used
For our tour in Sardinia we used the soft bags of GIVIand Easy-T line, both side and saddle and tank, clothing Summer Hevik, flip-up helmet Kappa Moto and footwear Stylmartin.
For scuba diving we have chosen Scubapro also for the ease of transport in motorcycle: GAV Hydros Pro, first stage MK19, second stage G260, computers Aladdin A2, Definition wetsuit, Go Sport fins and for shooting the smartphone case Sportdiver by Sealife.
Thanks Event, Wemoto.it e Riders Revolution for the materials provided and the preparation of the bike before departure.
