Where the mountains plunge into the bluest Mediterranean
Climate averages for the costa area of Ogliastra. Every season offers a different experience.
Complete seasonal guide →Baunei is not a village: it is a vertigo. Perched at 480 metres above sea level, this hamlet of shepherds and seafarers commands the wildest coastline in Europe — 40 kilometres of limestone cliffs, sea caves and coves reachable only by boat or along trails carved out by wild goats. Here the Supramonte does not end: it plunges.
The municipal territory of Baunei is the largest in eastern Sardinia (over 190 km²) and contains the highest concentration of botanical endemisms on the entire island. It is one of the last places in Europe where the golden eagle, the mouflon and the monk seal coexist within the same ecosystem.
Baunei falls within the Sardinian "Blue Zone", one of the five areas in the world where people statistically live the longest. Tziu Ferrandu, born in 1904, was still herding his goats at 103 along the very same trails that trekkers follow today. The secret? According to gerontologists, a combination of genetics, a diet based on pane carasau, pecorino and Cannonau wine, and above all the daily physical activity demanded by the sheer verticality of the terrain.
The church of San Nicola has its main entrance facing north rather than west, which is extremely rare in Christian sacred architecture. Local legend has it that the oxen carrying the building stones refused to follow the planned route and came to a halt at the current spot: the people of Baunei decided to go along with the animals.
Until the 1960s, the shepherds of Baunei used a whistle-based communication system (similar to the "Silbo Gomero" of the Canary Islands) to talk to one another across the opposing slopes of the Supramonte. Each family had its own distinctive whistle-signature.
The Golgo plateau is home to "Su Sterru", the deepest karst sinkhole in Europe (approximately 270 metres). Here too stands the rural church of San Pietro, where every June a festival is celebrated with kid roasted over fires lit on bare rock. It is one of the few places in Sardinia where the ancient "a carraxiu" cooking technique (underground) is still practised.
Coves, cliffs and crystal-clear waters
⏱️ 1h 15min on foot
A Natural Monument since 1995, it is probably the most photographed beach in Sardinia. The Aguglia — a limestone pinnacle 148 metres tall — rises from the turquoise sea like a natural sculpture. Accessible only on foot via a 3.5 km trail (470 m elevation drop) or by sea. Direct landing has been prohibited since 2007 to protect the site.
⏱️ 2h on foot / 30min by boat
The name derives from "mariolo" — the monk seal that used to "steal" fish from nets. The small white marble pebbles are so smooth and fine they resemble grains of rice. The water is transparent down to 15 metres depth. Ranked the most beautiful beach in Italy by numerous international lists.
⏱️ 1h 30min on foot / 20min by boat
A cathedral of white limestone 200 metres wide, framed by a forest of centuries-old holm oaks that reach almost to the water's edge. The "mouth" of the Sisine canyon creates a unique setting: the 500-metre-high rock walls open like a curtain onto the sea.
⏱️ 2h on foot / 30min by boat
Reachable by hiking the Codula di Luna, one of the most scenic canyons in Sardinia. The beach is famous for its sea caves lit by golden light at sunset. The overland route requires descending the full canyon (around 2 hours); the alternative is to arrive by sea.
⏱️ 2h 15min on foot
The secret twin of Cala Mariolu, separated by a headland. Less well known and wilder, with a seabed ideal for snorkelling. Herring gulls have nested on the overhanging cliffs for millennia.
⏱️ By sea only
A tiny cove reachable only by swimming or kayak from the nearby Cala Sisine. An amphitheatre of rock with an underwater cave. Few people know about it; even fewer make it there.
Three days of rural celebration on the Golgo plateau. Roasted kid and suckling pig, poetry competitions in the Sardinian language, traditional dances. Guests sleep in the "cumbessias" — the ancient pilgrims' cottages surrounding the church.
The inner courtyards of Baunei's homes are opened to the public. Tastings of culurgionis, pane pistoccu, cheeses and traditional sweets. The elders recount stories of the Supramonte.
The marina of Baunei celebrates the princess of Navarre who, according to legend, planted a thousand-year-old olive tree after surviving a shipwreck in the 11th century. The olive tree still stands: it is over 1,000 years old.
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