Sardinia and it's Emerald Coast is one of the true jewels of the Mediterranean.  Porto Pollo sits at the far North of the island near the narrowest gap between Sardinia and it's French neighbour Corsica.  Between the two lie the scattered islands of the Archipelago di Maddalena all within a short boat ride of the beach of Porto Pollo.

Geography & History

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Med and boasts over 1,000 miles of often undeveloped coastline.  Populated for over 8,000 years the island has a rich and varied history from the neolithic, through ancient and medievel to modern, the remains of which can be seen at every turn.  Despite being claimed by dozens of civilizations over the centuries including the Phoenicians, Romans, Spanish, French, Brits and of course Italians, few ventured far from the coast.  As a result Sardinia has always held onto it's own traditions and culture.  It's said that as recently as 30 years ago it wan't safe for tourists to venture into the hills thanks to the presence of local non-italian speaking bandits! Sardinians along with Venitians are the only people in Italy to be recognised by the constitution as a distinct group from Italians.

Food & Wine

From fresh seafoods, breads and olives to suckling pigs, cheeses and ice cream, Sardinia is a food-lover's paradise.  As an island you would naturally expect a lot of seafood in the cuisine, but it's dramatic history which often drove the locals away from the coast actually led to a real love of wild boar, lamb, chicken and rabbit. There are many fantastic agritourismo restaurants dotted around the island which are working farms offering 6 course fixed menus of local produce usually featuring some spit roasted sucking pig.

85% of Sardinia is mountainous which is ideal terrain for grape cultivation. Conversely, the more the vine has to struggle, the better the quality of the grapes.  The most popular variety of red wine is Cannonau. It produces delicious and often agreeable reds that are both dry and sweet.

For whites, Vernaccia (not the same grape as found in other parts of Italy) di Oristano produces a dry, sherry-like wine, while crisp, dry whites are most often made from the Vermentino grape and found in the northern regions of Sardinia. Some wineries, like Sella & Mosca, are also growing international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. These grapes can be bottled as single varietals or blended with local varieties, like Cannonau