Southern Sardinia

Just like its northern counterpart, the southern coastline of Sardinia is very windy and this is especially true of the Bay of Cagliari and the area around the Sant' Antioco peninsula. The coastline is greener and more rugged than its northern neighbor and offers many beautiful sandy beaches which are often compared to those in the Caribbean. The area also has less people during the high season.

 If you are patient and wait for more stable weather conditions, you will find many wonderful cities and towns here, top of the list being Cagliari and Carloforte, along with several interesting little islands and countless safe anchorages. An extremely pleasant bonus is the Capo Carbonara Marine Reserve, which spreads out along the southeast of Sardinia from the island of Serpentara to Capo Boi. You will be amazed by the beautiful sandy beaches and incredibly varied sea life, which you can enjoy with a snorkel and some diving equipment. Great diving and fishing also await you near the islands of Sant' Antioco and San Pietr

1. Cagliari old town
2. The beach and coastline in the Chia area
3. Carloforte town and harbour
4. The ancient town of Nora
5. Diving and fishing off the island of Sant' Antioco
6. The Port of Buggerru
7. Laguna Molentargius
8. Capo Carbonara marine reserve
9. Costa Rei coastline
10. The village of Sarroch and the Sa Domu ‘e s'Orcu (la casa dell'orco) nuraghe

Baia Carbonara

According to the wind, you drop anchor here on the eastern or western side. The large bay is, however, most attractive as a stop-off point for lunch and a swim. The bottom is sandy-shingly providing various strengths for an anchor hold. 

Porto Malfatano

Porto Malfatano is a collection of several small bays and recesses to the southwest, together making up a very attractive anchorage. The dominant feature here is the beautiful tower jutting out over Capo Malfatano. Yachts that anchor in Cagliari often come here for the weekend. 

Porto Malfatano

A large bay to the east of Capo Malfatano. It offers a good place to shelter, although you will be anchoring in the outer part of the bay due to its depth. The bottom is muddy-grassy and holds anchors well. 

Teredda

You can anchor here on both sides of the island depending on the wind. Anchors hold well.

Eastern bay

You can anchor here in 4–6 m on sand and grass. It offers good cover from the east, but beware of squalls that enter from the nearby valley.

All three bays are exposed to katabatic wind from the mountains at night.

As in the north of Sardinia, the NW wind prevails here, but the SW wind is also common, which can reach 5–6 on the Beaufort scale (BFT) in the Gulf of Cagliari and near Sant' Antioco Island. Numerous storms often occur here, but usually, they do not last longer than 2 or 3 hours. For the rest of the year, winds blow in mainly from the northeast and northwest, but southern winds also appear. With strong winds from any direction, the sea near Cape Sperone and Cape Carbonara is turbulent. 

Pula

The famous Pula resort is situated near the ancient town of Nora. The colourful little houses will certainly catch your attention. If you have any golfers on board, they will appreciate a walk to the prestigious Is Molas golf course, where international tournaments are also held. Capo di Pula protrudes into the sea near Pula, a cape which is celebrated from the mineralogical point of view due to its abundance of zeolite, flint, and calcite.

Sant' Antioco

The town was probably founded by the Carthaginians on the ruins of what was originally the Phoenician residence of Sulcis, dating back to the 8th century BC. When sailing into the town harbour, you will notice the town’s prominent feature, the ancient Roman, Ponte Romano Bridge. There are also some very nice beaches in the surrounding area.

Calasetta

In their pilot observations about Italy, Rod and Lucinda Heikell said that Calasetta is a pleasant town. It was founded in the 12th century, but probably did not involve itself all that much in the affairs of the island. It is located in the northwest of the island where you will find berths for 300 boats in its harbour. The surrounding area is famous for its wine-making, the most famous variety being a red and rosé Carignan, which you can sample in the cellars on Via Roma.

Islands

San Pietro

This untamed island forms the marine part of the San Pietro canal. Its attractiveness lies in a number of small bays and niches that, depending on wind direction, can serve as a very pleasant day anchorage. It is necessary to expect a number of surrounding cliffs and rocks, just as you would off the coast of La Maddalena. The little island of Piana at the northwest corner of the island, is where you will find a beautiful, old fishing village that is definitely worth exploring.

 A similar settlement is located at the northeast of San Pietro itself. The strait between these two islands is very shallow, so it is better to avoid it. The island is named after St Peter, who was allegedly marooned here and later taught the locals how to catch tuna.

Sant' Antioco

Is a rocky island surrounded by cliffs which are only interrupted in the northeast by low salt flats that extend all the way to the opposite mainland. The island is connected to this mainland by road. Three ports are available to dock at here—Calasetta at the northwestern tip, Sant' Antioco in the east, and Port Ponte Romano on the artificially built mainland neck. When sailing in poor weather, watch out along the northeast of the island and at the Cape of Sperone, where there can be strong, heaving seas. 

Stravování jižních Sardů se od toho severního příliš neliší: Je to strava pastevecká a rybářská. Pasteveckou složky sardinské gastronomie The eating habits of people from southern Sardinia do not differ greatly from those of the north: They enjoy a rural and fish-based cuisine. You have the best chance of discovering the pastoral ingredients of Sardinian gastronomy if you anchor your boat safely in one of the picturesque harbours and then, set out to explore the inland. You will enjoy some genuine rarities there. The game and mutton, although superbly prepared, might not surprise you. But the horse or donkey meat just might. 

The food in the south of Sardinia is simply more exotic and colourful than in the north. Africa is just 120 NM away and you can feel this in San Pietro, where couscous is a staple ingredient of the daily menu. Even the now traditional Sardinian dish of crispy flatbread known as carasau seems almost African. The long summers, coupled with the short winters yields a plentiful fruit harvest; the fruit is larger, juicier, and tastier than in the more northern parts of Europe. Even bananas grow here! 

An evening walk along the shore with an ice cream cone may seem quite routine to you, but try the popular brioche bun filled with ice cream for breakfast!

The Phonecians produced wine here on a large scale, and today’s residents are in no way behind their ancient ancestors. In southern Sardinia a reasonably priced standard wine by the glass, is delicious. Ask around and you should be able to buy a litre (or three), direct from the vintners who live there. 

The wreck of the warship Romagna, Gulf of Cagliari, Capitana

In August 1943, when the skipper of the Romagna carrying a valuable cargo of weapons and fuel received an inaccurate report about a minefield along its course, it was already too late. The Romagna hit a mine and was immediately split in half. Both parts of the ship sank to the shallow sandy bottom, about 30–40 m below, 800 m apart. Today, with the right equipment, we can admire the well preserved wreck, literally wrapped in and surrounded by marine flora. Your guides here will be giant groupers, red scorpion fish and stingrays. The view of the huge and perfectly preserved rudder and propeller is breathtaking, a great experience particularly for present-day skippers.

The wreck of the freighter Entella, Gulf of Cagliari, Solanas

A convoy of three ships, the Entella, Loredan, and Isonzo set sail on the morning of April 10th, 1943, with a cargo of coal to the La Maddalena archipelago when it was attacked by the British submarine, the HMS Safari. The first two torpedoes sunk the Loredan and the Isonzo, but the skipper of the Entella performed an ingenious manoeuvre towards the coastline, thus avoiding the third torpedo and saving the whole crew. However, the submarine returned the next day and sunk the Entella. You can now find a pile of twisted iron on the seabed, the outlines of the hull, and black coal scattered all around. This is a very shallow dive, no deeper than 15 m and because of this, the site is beautifully lit by sunlight. This undersea world is diverse, with moray eels, octopuses, barracuda, and even a lobster here or there.

Sant' Antioco

You will find the beautiful sandy bay of Cala Lunga on this island. Tucked away on the coastline a little way from Nido dei Passeri and offering beautiful underwater scenery with an extremely colourful aquatic world of fish right near the coastline at shallow depths. Apart from shoals of blue fin tuna, you can also say ciao to the dolphins or giant manta rays nearer the island's shores. The seabed is usually overgrown with posidonia seagrass, so you will feel like you are swimming in a charming underwater garden.

Sardinia has long been famous for its bluefin tuna fishing. It was traditionally caught in fixed nets known as mattanza which very often, posed a serious navigational hazard. However, these nets are no longer set for catching tuna as much as they were in the past, due to the decline in tuna numbers. The tuna fish have changed their migration route and now avoid the coastline. Their numbers have also dwindled in some remaining fishing grounds, due to overfishing. Strict quotas apply for catching this prized fish. One of the last mattanza festivals is known as Giro Tonno and is held every year in Carloforte. Conditions for underwater fishing are very good along the Sardinian coastline, but the use of harpoons and scuba equipment is forbidden.

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The islands of Sant' Antioco and San Pietro

These two islands to the southwest of Sardinia are perfect for fishing. The waters here, are a home to moray eels, groupers, sea bream, ruffe, and above all, an abundance of tuna. You can also catch sight of dolphins. If you don’t come fully equipped, it is easy to rent some fishing gear, for example in Carloforte or Sant' Antioco. For a fee, you might also go out to fish with one or two of the experienced, local fishermen.

Cagliari

The Bay of Cagliari offers ample opportunities for fishing trips, including night fishing or fishing at dawn or dusk. Apart from the traditional tuna, you can also net barracuda, sea bream, or perch. But you will only come across sea bream and perch from December to August, sometimes only until March. If you fancy landing and tasting your own squid or octopus, plan a trip here for the colder months.