Experience the best of Olbia

Olbia lies at the head of a long, sheltered gulf on the north-east coast of Sardinia, and is a major ferry port for the island. It was founded by Greek settlers in the sixth century BC and later held by Carthage and Rome, and Roman ships and walls have been found under the modern centre. The Basilica of San Simplicio, a granite Romanesque church, stands in the town, and Corso Umberto is lined with shops and cafés.

North of Olbia, the Costa Smeralda, or Emerald Coast, developed from the 1960s, strings together coves of clear green-blue water around Porto Cervo. The La Maddalena archipelago, a marine national park, lies off Palau, and Tavolara, a tall limestone island, rises just to the south-east in a protected marine area. Inland, the granite hills of Gallura hold Nuragic tombs near Arzachena, and cork oaks cover the slopes.

Sardinian tables carry culurgiones, stuffed pasta, roast suckling pig, pecorino cheese, bottarga of cured mullet roe and seadas, a fried pastry filled with cheese and drizzled with honey. Zuppa gallurese, a baked dish of bread and cheese, is the local dish, and Vermentino di Gallura is the white wine. Summers are hot and sunny, and the sea stays warm enough for swimming into autumn.