A swimmer relaxing on his back in crystal clear waters
The pinnacles and limestone cliffs of Sardinia’s Cala Goloritzé overlook the astonishing turquoise Tyrrhenian Sea.
Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci

Photo story: wild beauty in eastern Sardinia, from coast to mountains

Coastal sights are only part of the story on the eastern side of this Italian island, whose near-impregnable interior is a place of untouched beauty and resilience.

ByFrancesco Lastrucci
Photographs byFrancesco Lastrucci
July 15, 2023
8 min read
This article was adapted from National Geographic Traveller (UK).
A busy beach set amongst cliffs.
The high plateau of the Supramonte is furrowed by a network of paths stretching from the mountains to the sea. Villages, churches and neolithic sites are hidden between canyons, caves and cliffs that stand as a challenge to climbers.
Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci
Two boys overlook the stream
Beneath those rocks, fresh water makes its way through an even more intricate karst system, revealing itself at points coming up to the surface, such as the spring of Su Gologone with its crystal-clear pools below an old chapel (below), on its meandering route to the sea.
Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci
Old sandstone chapel
The old chapel over looking Su Gologone.
Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci
Two hikers make their way around a large tree.
The SS125 road, which runs inland parallel to the Gulf of Orosei, is the starting point for the area’s most enticing walks. As the paths descend from the plateaus to the canyons, the ancient holm oaks and yew trees give way to gnarled, century-old junipers and Mediterranean scrub, including vividly coloured oleander.
Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci
a man in a grey t-shirt
Luciano Murgia (pictured), together with his friend Fabrizio Vella, also from the nearby village of Urzulei, he founded Chìntula Gorropu in 2009, a group organising treks, off-road tours and other excursions in and around the Gorropu canyon, which aims to preserve the cultural and environmental heritage of the Supramonte region.
Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci
A close up of pink flowers
The environment is rich in animal and plant life including several endemic species.
Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci
A family having a picnic in the forest.
Following the sinuous line of the coast at a distance, the SS125 is the fastest and oldest road running through eastern Sardinia; its most panoramic leg between the towns of Dorgali and Baunei is not to be missed. Cyclists trace the countless bends it takes across the landscape.
Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci
A mountain goat in the greenery of the mountains.
Herds of goats clamber on the limestone, shale and granite rocks of the barren mountains.
Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci
A plate with goats cheese and honey
The journey up to the pass of Ghenna Sìlana at 1,017m passes shepherds carrying fresh ricotta cheese, in Sardinia often served with honey.
Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci
The thrill of finding the Pischìna Gurthàddala, a gigantic cave holding a karstic lake in its mouth, perched on a cliff by the southwestern slopes of Gorropu canyon, is worth the adventure.
Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci
Graffiti on a wall, in the background a boy cycling down the street.
West and further inland across the Supramonte, Barbagia is a vast region that encompasses the slopes of the Gennargentu, the mountain range at the centre of the island. One of the wildest areas in Europe, its geography helped its few but fierce inhabitants to repel invaders who attempted to rule them through the ages, and to preserve the land’s cultural and natural treasures.
Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci
Surrounded by cliffs, two men hiking.
The majestic Gorropu canyon separates the Supramonte of Orgosolo from the Supramonte of Urzulei. Its 1,500ft high walls were carved through the millennia by the tireless flow of the Rio Flumineddu. Hikers venture inside the canyon, finding their way between giant, water-sculpted boulders crammed in its tightest passages, where the cliffs may be only 30ft apart. 
Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci
An elderly woman holding weaving tools and a basket in progress.
In a valley just off the SS125, Urzulei still maintains a strong agro-pastoral community. Craftspeople like Luigina Lorrai still practise the ancient technique of skillfully weaving fibres of iscrarìa (asphodel) to adorn baskets with bichromatic patterns
Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci
Published in the Jul/Aug 2023 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).

To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).

WIN A TRIP TO ANTARCTICA WITH NAT GEO

No Purchase Necessary. Ends 4/30/25 at 11:59pm ET. Click below for Official Rules.