| [+]

A spectacular natural landmark carved into the wild coastline of the Golfo di Orosei, Cala Goloritzé is a crescent of pale pebbles cradled by sheer limestone cliffs that plunge into water of impossible turquoise clarity. Rising above the cove, the Aguglia — a slender 143-metre limestone spire — pierces the sky like a natural cathedral spire, drawing climbers from across Europe to trace its Verdon-esque slabs against a backdrop of open sea.

Reachable only by a steep descent through Mediterranean scrubland from the Golgo plateau, or by boat from Santa Maria Navarrese, the bay rewards effort with near-total silence, broken only by wind and waves. Protected within the Gennargentu and Orosei Gulf National Park, this is Sardinia at its most primal: no roads, no structures, just stone, light and sea. At dawn or dusk, when the crowds thin, Goloritzé reveals itself as one of the Mediterranean’s last truly wild shores.