PORTO CERVO

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009


"PORTO CERVO is probably the most famous resort in Sardinia and it is the main centre of the Costa Smeralda"


"THE PIAZZETTA is the heart of the village and the location of Hotel Cervo. If you think that the mansions are fabulous, just wait to see the yachts..."


“HOTEL CERVO one of the Starwood Stars in the area..."


"SHOPPING - Just the best... What colour do you prefer for your moccasins?"


"YACHTS - The difficulty of choice..."


"EL GAMA - the smaller one is registered in Madeira..."


"IL GRILL - Dining al fresco and enjoying Piazza del Principe (Aga Khan)"


"HOTEL CERVO at night"


"YACHTS - Lighted..."


"NARA, ONA & DILBAR - NARA: 61m long, crafted in 1979, is able to accommodate a total of 26 people on board, including 17 crew members. Flagged in Bermuda, the official registry port is Hamilton and her home port is Viareggio, Italy. The owner is from the Middle East...
ONA: Built in the Netherlands and launched in 2005. With an overall length of 66.01 metres, ONA can accommodate 14 passengers and 22 crew members. Flagged in the Cayman Islands, the official registry port is George Town and her home port is Piraeus, Greece...
DILBAR: The 110m long yacht was built in 2008. She is owned by Alisher Usmanov and is currently number 18 in the list of the largest yachts in the world. Dilbar includes one helipad and can accommodate 20 passengers and 47 crew members. Flagged in the Cayman Islands, the official registry port is George Town. Dilbar is the first yacht in the world with particle filters on the main engine exhausts...
Now, which one do you care for? ;)"


"SMERALDA FROM SKY"


"FLYSAILING CAPO CACCIA - Goodbye Sardinia 2009"

COSTA SMERALDA - II

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009


"NEAR CAPO TESTA"


"COSTA SMERALDA - Different views"


"SANTA TERESA DI GALLURA - Church. Santa Teresa, a town on the northern tip of Sardinia, on the Strait of Bonifacio, was founded on August 12th 1808, by king Vittorio Emanuele I, and at the beginning was populated by smugglers, Corsican political exiles and some local families. The construction of the church started in 1835"


"SANTA TERESA - Way to the beach... The urban plan of the town was designed by king Vittorio Emanuele I in 1807 and with it is unique in Sardinia, with its straight streets, parallel and intersecting at right angles"


"SANTA TERESA - Pedestrian zone. At the end of the 19th century the town was discovered as a tourist resort. And you may see the ad on «Seadas Fresche» - a thin film of egg pasta, a soft cheese filling and a coating of melted honey, which, perhaps more than any other represents the Sardinian tradition. The origins of this cake are in the area of Orgosolo/Oliena. The name derives from the word «seu», meaning, in Sardinian dialect, the brilliance of the pancakes after they were covered in honey. The Seadas were prepared by women to celebrate the return of men from transhumance, and in principle were not regarded as a sweet, but as actual dishes. Today they are served as dessert"


"SANTA TERESA - Port and ferry to Corsica. According to the official site, «The coast on which Santa Teresa stands was the scene of the fights between the regular troops and the exponents of the ideals defended by the French Revolution, like the revolt of June 1802, caused by the priest Sanna – Corda and the notary Cilocco on the Spanish Tower of Longosardo»"


"RENA BIANCA BEACH - No comments..."


"BEACHES ON THE COAST - Including the fabulous Rena Bianca..."


"VIGNOLA MARE - A typical village on the gulf of Vignola, 16 km from Santa Teresa di Gallura, whose main feature is its beautiful sand beach"


"VIGNOLA MARE - Blues"


"ROCKS"


"SANTA REPARATA - Located only 3 km far from Santa Teresa di Gallura, furthest point in the north-eastern Sardinia, its bay is surrounded by stunning sea cliffs and the colour of its bottom goes from the blue to the green"

COSTA SMERALDA - I

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009

The development of the Emerald Coast - 55 km long with lovely beaches and villages built according to an extremely detailed urban plan, started in 1961, when the Prince Karim Aga Khan created a consortium of companies to introduce luxury in the area. The result is an amazing collection of luxury resorts and fabulous villas around the main towns and villages of Arzachena, Porto Cervo, Liscia di Vacca, Olbia and Romazzino. The «Arcipelago di La Maddalena National Park», a geo-marine national park, is also in the area.


"YACHT BY THE BEACH - Fabulous yachts, secluded beaches and a fantastic turquoise sea may be found around Costa Smeralda"


"HOTEL ROMAZZINO and neighbourhood"


"BAJA SARDINIA - Famous tourist village located west of Porto Cervo, Baja has a large bay perfect for swimming"


"GULF OF ARZACHENA - With 88km of coast, it includes the true heart of the Costa Smeralda and the Capo d'Orso..."


"PALAU - Not the Republic in the Pacific Ocean, just the village in Sardinia..."


"CABRERA & ST. STEFANO ISLANDS - Two of the largest islands of the Maddalena Archipelago National Park"


"CROSSING - From Palau to La Maddalena, the main town of the Archipelago, in the island with the same name; the largest one also..."


"LA MADDALENA - Marina"


"LA MADDALENA -Strolling around..."


"OLD BUILDINGS WITH BALCONIES"


"RESTAURANT WITH A VIEW"


"MOONLIGHT"

CALA DI VOLPE

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009

The north-eastern Sardinian coastline known as the Costa Smeralda, or «The Emerald Coast», was largely undiscovered until the early 1960s when the Aga Kahn, looking to escape the crowds of the Côte d’Azur, bought some twenty square kilometres (five thousand acres) of white sand beaches and coves. Sensitive to the granite coastline and to the eucalyptus, juniper, and myrtle that surrounded the area, the Aga Kahn chose the French architect Jacques Couelle (1902-1996) to develop a resort offering the most luxurious accommodations and amenities conceivable.

Couëlle, a self-taught architect, nicknamed «the architect of billionaires» and a friend of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, built some exceptional homes and the Hotel Cala di Volpe. His design of the «home-landscape» Hotel, completed in 1963, stands as a masterpiece that irrevocably shaped the coastline. The renovations of the Hotel in 2001 and 2008 were overseen by Jacques Couelle’s son Savin.


"ROOM WITH A VIEW - Another one..."


"ROOM SERVICE"


"VIEWS FROM THE BALCONY"


"INSIDE - Each of the one hundred and twenty four rooms and suites celebrates Sardinia's natural beauty and artistry. White washed walls are decorated with trompe l'oeil paintings, unique to each room. Handcrafted furniture is painted to match each room's singular theme, complemented further by ceramic tile work. Curved walls lead down angled passageways and up winding staircases"



"IN THE MORNING - The hotel’s exterior was conceived to look like an ancient Mediterranean fishing village, with interconnecting terracotta rooftops, turrets, porticoes, and terraces..."


"PRIVATE BEACH with a view to the fleet of real yachts floating in the emerald sea. Wonder what the fake Vuitton is doing there... :-)"


"SWIMMING POOL - Huge..."


"PASTEL PATCHWORK"



"SUNSET COLOURS"


"EVENING"

FROM OROSEI TO COSTA SMERALDA

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009


"GULF OF OROSEI - Clouds for our departure..."


"OROSEI TO PORTO SAN PAOLO"


"LA CALETTA"


"CAPE COMINO"


"POSADA"


"PORTO SAN PAOLO - Restaurant Il Portolano: lobster spaghetti and ravioli al nero di sepia..."


"TAVOLARA ISLAND - Just across from Porto San Paolo, the limestone massif is five kilometres long, one kilometre wide and 565 metres above sea level at its highest point"


"TAVOLARA - There was a Kingdom of Tavolara in the 19th and 20th centuries, one of the smallest in the world. Ruled by the Bertoleoni family, it became de facto part of Italy in 1962 when a NATO base was established, although it was never formally annexed"


"GULFS - Olbia and Aranci, with the village of Nodu Pianu"


"PORTO ROTONDO - No sign of Villa Certosa..."


"PORTO ROTONDO"


"CALA DI VOLPE - Arrival at the hotel: strawberries and prosecco..."