Sardinia: Alghero, Costa Smeralda and Corsica

Speak of Sardinia and the glamorous scalloped bays of Costa Smeralda spring to mind, but the Mediterranean’s second-largest island has so much more to offer.

A closer look reveals delightful surprises at every turn: an exhilarating thousand-mile coastline of translucent sea, white sands and hidden coves; a long history as diverse and fantastic as its rugged landscapes; and a unique identity that is familiar yet distinct from mainland Italy. Further inland away from the bustling coast is a very different yet perhaps more intriguing and authentic side to Sardinia: immaculate beaches give way to undulating countryside, cloaked in forests of cork oak in the uplands, and swathed in myrtle and olive on the lower slopes. Tucked away are sleepy towns and villages, where you’ll catch enticing glimpses of local life and centuries-old traditions.