Rising dramatically from the sea off the coast of Masua, Pan di Zucchero is a towering limestone stack and the tallest sea stack in the Mediterranean. Best admired from the cliffs near Porto Flavia or by boat, its pale rock glows against the deep blue water, making it one of the most iconic silhouettes along the southwest coast.

At Nebida, the twin tunnels of Porto Flavia open through the cliff face. Carved into the rock in 1924 as an ingenious mining port, the galleries once allowed minerals to be loaded directly onto ships anchored below. Today it can be reached by land (with guided tours through the historic mining tunnels) or admired from the water on boat trips departing every day from the port of Buggerru or the Porto Cauli beach.

A long, unspoiled stretch of nearly three kilometres, Scivu is framed by low dunes and Mediterranean scrub and deep emerald green waters. Wild and wonderfully open, it remains one of the most pristine beaches along Sardinia’s southwest coast.