The ten kilometre strip ofcoastline, known as the Costa Smeralda just screams ‘jet-set’ to most people.The story goes that the Aga Khan stumbled upon this magical bit of coastlinewhen his yacht took shelter from a storm in one of its coves, in 1958. Fouryears later, he came back, heading up a consortium of businessmen with the aimof developing this wild bit of coastline and the rest as they say is history.At the heart of it all is Porto Cervo with its harbour packed with‘mega-yachts’ and the sort of designer shops that their clientele require. ThePiazetta is in the centre of a maze of little alleyways and boasts some fineemerald coast style buildings in a distinctive red-coloured stone. The wholedrive along the coast will give you some stunning views of little coves withunbelievable colours in the sea, ranging from pure turquoise to cobalt blue.Next, the guide will take you to the centre of Baja Sardinia where you willhave some free time to grab a quick lunch in one of the many bars orrestaurants. After lunch, a short drive will bring you to the Belvedere, whichcries out for a photo stop. Arzacena marks the southernmost stretch of theCosta Smeralda, but just inland is the archaeological site. Here you will havea guided tour of the Nuraghe Prisgonia and the tomb of the Giants CodduVecchiu. The Nuraghe are extraordinary structures, only found in Sardinia; theydate back to 2000BC. Coddu Vecchiu is a vast tomb which was originally coveredwith earth and stone. The Park guides will carefully explain all the processesinvolved in the excavation.
