Summer’s almost here, which means the Amalfi Coast is about to be packed. That’s why we’re making the case for Sardinia instead — which is equally stunning, but with a fraction of the crowds.
Make Cagliari, the capital, your base and spend your days wandering narrow alleyways in the Castello district (don’t miss sunset at the city’s best lookout point), relaxing on spectacular beaches, spotting pink flamingos at Molentargius Saline Regional Natural Park, sampling the island’s “longevity wine” (which may or may not explain Sardinia’s Blue Zone status), and embracing slow living over aperitivi in lively piazzas.
As for whether you extend your trip to the ridiculously glamorous Costa Smeralda or the tiny hillside town home to “The World’s Rarest Pasta”? We’ll leave that up to you.
🌊 Sure, Northern Sardinia takes the crown for the island’s best beaches — but the southern shores are just as mesmerizing and way more affordable. Case in point: Cagliari’s Poetto Beach, a miles-long stretch of white sand and turquoise water lined with beach clubs and seafood restaurants. Want something less crowded? Cala Cipolla, with its dramatic cliffs, is well worth the hour drive.
🍽️ Forget tagliatelle and bucatini — Sardinia has its own pasta playbook. In Cagliari, visit Trattoria Lillicu to try fregola di mare, a couscous-like pasta cooked in a tomato broth with mussels and prawns. Or head to Pani e Casu for malloreddus alla campidanese (aka the “quintessential pasta dish of Sardinia”) and culurgiones, a potato- and cheese-stuffed pasta that falls somewhere between a ravioli and a dumpling.
🎣 Spend an afternoon strolling the Marina neighborhood, a former fishing enclave packed with bars, shops, and restaurants. Snack on local cheeses and tapas-style small plates at Sabores. Pick up whimsical, animal-shaped ceramics from the husband-and-wife team at Raku. And pop into Durke Maurizia Pala Srl, a family-run bakery serving up traditional sweets like suspiros (the Sardinian equivalent of a macaroon) and papassinus (diamond-shaped raisin cookies).
🏰 History buffs, prepare to be very busy. Start at The National Archaeological Museum of Cagliari, where 4,000 artifacts trace 7,000 years of history. Then take a day trip to Su Nuraxi di Barumini — a mind-boggling Bronze Age fortress dubbed “Sardinia’s Stonehenge” — to explore remarkably well-preserved stone staircases, towers, and homes. Or go down the coast to Nora, an ancient city with a Roman theater, thermal baths, and temples — and that’s just what’s been excavated so far.