Sardinia

Considered the oldest landmass in Europe, there’s much more to Sardinia than meets the eye. Steeped in history, culture and beautiful backdrops, this picturesque Italian island is a designated Blue Zone, a region where the people live longer and healthier lives than anywhere else on the planet.

Cagliari, Sardinia’s historic capital, is a glorious profusion of golden-hued palazzi, Pisan fortifications and colourful facades. A short drive away is the fabulous Poetto beach, while lagoons nearby provide habitats for cranes, cormorants and flamingos. South of the capital is Forte Village, one of the best family resorts in Europe, beyond which lie the beaches around Chia, famous for their shallow, turquoise water, soft, fine sand and tumbling sand dunes cloaked in fragrant juniper.

In the north, the Costa Smeralda’s powder-soft beaches and limpid blue waters have been a playground for the super-rich since the 1960s, yet much of the north still feels light years apart from glitzy resort towns like Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo. Marooned off the northernmost point of Sardinia, the Maddalena Islands are lapped by some of the clearest waters in the Mediterranean. While the walled port of Alghero, perhaps the prettiest town on the island, hides Neptune’s Grotto, a stunning sea cave set into the towering cliffs, full of stalactites, stalagmites and eccentric rock formations.