There are numerous great beaches in Sardinia, and the west coast is still far from overrun by tourists...
We must admit; We are not beach people. After an hour lying in the sun and a few cooling dips, we have done our thing. But we love to walk. In the sand, or on the rocks along the coast, to get the view. The smell of the sea. The sound of the sea. The colors of the sea. And there are many, many walks to make.
Cuglieri has three public beaches towards the south, each with a different character. All three are sort of half-wild, not having rent-out sun chairs etcetera which is otherwise common in Italy. (Which we prefer, don't those rows of chairs make being on beach sort of industrial?)
Santa Caterina is the closest, about a fifteen minute drive from our house. It is a small beach with pebbles strewn on the sand. You can also lie in comfort on the grass next to the beach. This is also were you can rent canoes, surfboards, mountain bikes and more from Giampaolo. Santa Caterina has very few tourists. It has a small year-round population and is the favorite hangout for the Cuglieritani.
However, the most amazing part of Santa Caterina is not the beach closest to the main road. If one instead takes the first right after passing the petrol station, when coming from Cuglieri, and parks the car where the houses end, then one can follow a path north towards soft limestone cliffs. After awhile one can descend to a rocky cove where generations have carved in their names into the cliffs and swam in the turquoise water.
Two minutes by car south of Santa Caterina is S’Archittu. Apart from lying on the beach (and surf if you have that passion) you can stroll along the promenade and visit the restaurants and bars. Our own Food Truck 292 is here, on the promenade, Lungomare. A great place to watch the sun setting over the sea in the evening. Menu: https://www.duenovedue.it/menu.
The ice cream parlour Numero Uno, just off the main road, is also good but a bit pricey.
Be sure to walk along the water to take a closer look at the natural arch after which S'Archittu is named. Both sides of the arch are worth looking at. Many boys in the past, and girls today, have proved their mettle by diving from the arch.
Torre del Pozzo is couple of minutes drive further south. Just below La Capanna restaurant there is a beautiful small lagoon formed by rocks. It is shallow and warms rapidly. Grea for small children.
Beyond that the beach grows over to the seemingly endless sandy beach of Is Arenas. At almost 5,5 km it is the longest beach in western Sardinia and long stretches have no people at all on it.
A bit further afield, to the north of Cuglieri, there are large sandy beaches at Porto Alabe and Bosa.
Going south after Is Arenas, one beach follows the next. The first one is Putzu Idu. This is good for families with small children because there is plenty of sand and the water is shallow for 50 meters out into the sea. Off-season the water is warmer than elsewhere. The next place is a beach of sorts. S’Arena Scoada has tiny beaches hewn into the rock, one after the other. It is almost like having one’s private beach. But some can be filled with seaweed. This is where you will find Trattoria Maestrale, a good simple fish restaurant overlooking the beach. A personal favourite, Mari Ermi, follows with both sand and beautiful rock formations.
Is Arutas has beaches made from glittering white quartz grains. Unfortunately, it is strictly forbidden to take the sand away (as it is from all beaches). Customs at the airport will confiscate it and you have to pay a hefty fine. Tons disappeared every year, so the ban is not unreasonable. Now one can only admire the extraordinary beach in its place of origin.
Is Arutas:
San Giovanni di Sinis is a lovely beach furthest south along this coast. This is also where you can find the architectural site of Tharros, a Phoenician city dating back to the 8th century BC.
15th of July 2022
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