More than sixty years have passed, and the Costa Smeralda remains one of the most glamorous corners of the Italian summer. Now, though, it does so with an even stronger story behind it. Take that founding principle of leaving the landscape untouched; a forerunner of today’s environmental thinking. Even if it began as a purely aesthetic instinct, putting the care of the land above all else has, over time, proved to be the saving grace of the pink granite, the Mediterranean scrub and the still-brilliant white beaches, changed only by centuries of microscopic, daily variation. Diving into that sea streaked with a thousand shades of blue restores the senses, its shimmering thrill framed by rock and shrubland.
And, for all its transformation and reshuffling, even the international jet set hasn’t lost its character since the 1970s, it has never tired of returning to these shores, drawn back each year by parties, gatherings and literary festivals that now stretch well beyond the traditional season. Because, unlike other fashionable resort towns, Porto Cervo and its surroundings have never abandoned culture, welcoming writers, artists and talents each year in an exchange that places art on equal footing with Sardinian hospitality.
The Costa Smeralda remains true to itself and to the manifesto it wrote back in 1962, when the Aga Khan founded the consortium and launched it into the world of upmarket tourism, creating a style of Mediterranean holiday that was born on these shores and became a model for Gallura and beyond. True to itself, yes, but in constant evolution because while the need for nature endures, tastes, needs and rituals shift, perhaps towards a new vision. Life moves at the speed of a social media scroll, and boredom sets in quickly but not with everything; some things transcend every era and become truly timeless. Places are refurbished, renewed, given a new atmosphere; new spots open full of energy. Yet, in the end, everyone always returns to that same beguiling sea, which need envy neither the Caribbean nor the Maldives.
Here’s what’s new to try:
La Tiara di Cervo
Alfonso Dolce, brother of Domenico and president of the Dolce&Gabbana brand, which has turned Italian folklore and tradition into fashion, has opened his own hotel in Porto Cervo, La Tiara di Cervo, entrusting its management to Aldo Melpignano, known for projects that are coherent, alive and, above all, deeply rooted in their surroundings. Two worlds meeting to create a different kind of hospitality on the Costa Smeralda, with 26 grand suites of one to three rooms scattered across 3.6 hectares of gardens, offering the intimacy and independence of a private villa immersed in greenery and facing the blue. The impact on the landscape is gentle, with buildings in the traditional stazzo style creating the atmosphere of a lived-in, original place, and two pools carved into the rock. A private chef comes to your door, and a “local adviser” offers suggestions for exploring the area. At the heart of it all is a simple idea: today’s true luxury is stripping away the superstructure, connecting with nature, getting to know the land, and living alongside the local community.
Romazzino, A Belmond Hotel
Much of the Costa Smeralda’s history is concentrated here. Built between 1964 and 1965 on commission from the Aga Khan, it was designed by Michele Busiri Vici, one of the architects of the Committee established alongside the Costa Smeralda to protect Gallura’s natural environment, prevent property speculation and create a unique, coherent architectural style. Today, that monument to organic architecture, with its curved lines and arches integrated into the landscape, is evolving without ever missing a season. The project of Romazzino is by Studio Palomba Serafini, a work in progress bringing the historic five-star seafront hotel up to the state of the art.
La Sùera
The new arrival in the small village of San Pantaleo, a quarter of an hour from the coast and increasingly known for its cool breezes. A small hotel at the heart of the village, built around one, actually two, majestic cork oaks. Pink dominates at La Suèra, the colour of optimism but also of Gallura’s granite, with horizontal lines drawing the eye towards a deep perspective. Thirty-six rooms and suites reflect the colours of nature: green like the Mediterranean scrub, earthy tones like the rock, blue like the sea. Some have a small private pool, others a garden, others still look straight onto the central pool. A minimalist, welcoming design leaves space for beauty you can almost touch on the rooftop, a theatre surrounded by granite sculptures where guests order drinks and Sardinian aperitivi, before heading down to Ristorante Agave, fully glazed to let the same natural spectacle continue through dinner, with dishes prepared using local ingredients and recipes.
Langosteria
It seems Milan takes its favourite haunts with it on holiday. This year, Langosteria opened in Porto Cervo, Enrico Buonocore’s celebrated seafood restaurant, known for its pappa al pomodoro with clams and for paccheri tossed in a copper pan and served tableside at the end of the meal. Here, though, the setting changes: tables are laid across two terraces suspended over the sea, connected by a panoramic walkway. One terrace houses the bar, the other the restaurant. And the signature dish changes too, with a distinctly Sardinian accent: culurgiones with scampi and Cabras bottarga.
Iyo
The first ethnic restaurant in Italy to earn a Michelin star, thanks to Takeshi Iwai’s contemporary Japanese cuisine and the entrepreneurial vision of Claudio Liu. In Poltu Quatu, the village recently reborn through strategic redevelopment, the name stays the same, but the format of Iyo shifts to something more relaxed and convivial overlooking the bay, designed for long summer evenings. Aperitivo first, then dinner with playful tartare and original nigiri, and finally DJ sets, music and rhythm out on the terrace.
Ritual Club
Does anyone remember Andres Fiore? Back in the 1970s, he bought a cave in Baja Sardinia that looked like a castle carved from pink granite by salt spray and wind. Like César Manrique in Lanzarote, Andres Fiore recognised nature’s superiority over anything man-made, and simply made the most of every nook to create little lounges, bars and dance floors. The result: Ritual Club became, almost overnight, the most striking spot for evenings out on the Costa Smeralda. Inheriting a legend is no easy task, yet Francesca Fiore has carried on her father’s work with passion, preserving it while creating new spaces, such as the mosaic terraces that call to mind Gaudí’s Park Güell. Here, the drinks are good, the food is easy-going, and the music shifts with the hour, all set against one of Italy’s most beautiful views: the Sardinian sea, its little islands, the granite outcrops, the Mediterranean scrub.
W sardegna
In Poltu Quatu, a small village built in the 1980s near Porto Cervo, a new hotel has opened with fun and playfulness woven into its very DNA. Suspended over a natural fjord, facing the La Maddalena islands, it has brought back the marina’s old-time vibe, with contemporary-design rooms, seven restaurants (ranging from pizza to a Roman-style osteria, from signature sushi to a churrascaria) and a bar serving cocktails and mocktails created by Paradiso, the Barcelona venue that’s featured on the World’s 50 Best Bars list for years running. In 2027, the 29 W Residences will be delivered — available to buy just steps from the hotel, with access to all its services, including concierge, private chef and personal coach.