Sardinia, or Sardegna in Italian, is an ideal destination for a summer escape thanks to its crystalline blue waters, wild landscape, and unhurried pace of life. The second-largest Mediterranean island after Sicily, Sardinia\u2019s way of living earned the island its Blue Zone status, thanks to a diet rich in whole grains, legumes, greens, and vegetables and its antioxidant-rich Cannonau wine.<\/p>\n
This May, Delta introduced the first direct flight from the United States to Sardinia, departing from New York\u2019s John F. Kennedy International Airport and landing at Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport operating four times a week through October. That means it\u2019s even easier to fly to this unique area cradled by Spain, France, Italy, Tunisia, and Algeria.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re in search of a summer holiday destination that\u2019s more about relaxing on a beach than partying in crowded clubs until the early morning, the Puntaldia Peninsula on Sardinia\u2019s northeastern coast offers a quieter alternative to the island\u2019s flashier, jet-set hub, Costa Smeralda.<\/p>\n
Who<\/p>\n
This trio of women\u2014they\u2019re also friends\u2014was practically born spending their summers in Sardinia. Carolina Fumagalli <\/a>is a hotelier who has taken the helm of the coastal resort her grandfather founded; her family, behind one of Italy\u2019s major home appliance brands, developed Puntaldia, including the Due Lune Puntaldia Resort & Golf. Designer Teresa Maccapani Missoni\u2019<\/a>s grandparents, Ottavio and Rosita Missoni\u2014founders of their namesake Italian knitwear brand\u2014first bought property on the Puntaldia Peninsula in the 1980s. The family keeps three homes on the peninsula, and returns every summer. Designer, scientist, and engineer Isabella Von Lobkowicz came to Sardinia as a child, spending summers in Santa Teresa di Gallura \u201cwatching boats through binoculars and hearing wild boars rustling in the rocks\u201d before Maccapani Missoni introduced her to Puntaldia a decade ago. She has returned every year since.<\/p>\n WhatWhat to Bring<\/p>\n Fumagalli suggests packing \u201ca good pair of friulane.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor the evenings, light summer dresses or caftans are perfect,\u201d says Von Lobkowicz.<\/p>\n Plenty of swimsuits, a pareo, and sunglasses are also essential.<\/p>\n WhereWhere to Stay<\/p>\n Situated on a coastal stretch of land just 30 minutes from OLB airport, the Due Lune Puntaldia Resort & Golf, an SLH Hotel<\/a>, has been a mainstay on the Puntaldia Peninsula since it opened in 1983, celebrated for being a place where both the sky and the sea are a deep shade of azure. Guests can play the nine-hole golf course seaside, laze the day away on its white-sand beach, and swim in crystal-clear waters or the swimming pool in the garden. \u201cIt\u2019s a place based on friends and family, true connection, deep conversations, and interesting people,\u201d says Fumagalli. There\u2019s also plenty to do, with Padel and tennis courts in addition to the golf course and a bar that feels like a living room filled with magazines on the coffee tables. <\/p>\n Courtesy of Due Lune Puntaldia Resort & Golf, an SLH Hotel<\/p>\n For an extra special experience, book a stay in the Suite sulla Luna<\/a>, designed by Maccapani Missoni, who filled it with pillows and furniture in a cheerful yellow. The friendly and welcoming atmosphere makes you feel like you\u2019re in a close friend\u2019s holiday villa. <\/p>\n Courtesy of Due Lune Puntaldia Resort & Golf, an SLH Hotel<\/p>\n Where to Eat<\/p>\n In the Piazzetta, Maccapani Missoni recommends Il Marino di Puntaldia<\/a>. A bit further out in Porto San Paolo, she suggests Il Portolano<\/a> on the beach. \u201cYou have a great view on Tavola Island,\u201d says Maccapani Missoni. \u201c[There\u2019s a] sea bass with a potato crust, but then the pasta alle vongole is amazing. Anything you could order, it\u2019s very good.\u201d Von Lobkowicz advises eating at Portolano for lunch, \u201cwhen everything feels quieter, almost suspended in time.\u201d<\/p>\n For an idyllic meal, La Pischera<\/a> in San Teodoro is worth the trip at any hour. \u201cBehind the lagoon there is this place that looks like an all-white Greek taverna with flamingos inside,\u201d says Fumagalli. \u201cThe fish is so fresh, the food is so good. It\u2019s the most amazing place.\u201d Maccapani Missoni agrees. \u201cYou can go for aperitivo; or they have breakfast until noon,\u201d says the designer.<\/p>\n Where to Shop<\/p>\n Last year, Fumagalli opened Caraluna<\/a>, a concept shop located within the Due Lune that\u2019s designed to feel like a salotto (Italian for living room) for a customer, who is, as Fumagalli describes, \u201ca conscious traveler who loves to carry beauty with her everywhere she goes.\u201d The thoughtful selection features all the resortwear a woman can dream of, with romantic sundresses, whimsical handbags, charming jewelry, and sportswear from labels like Vibi Venezia, Manin Tailor Made, and Malbon Golf. \u201cIt is the perfect place for unexpected finds and vintage treasures,\u201d says Von Lobkowicz.<\/p>\n This season, Caraluna introduced a capsule collection with Luisa Beccaria<\/a> that\u2019s covered in a lovely floral print. Fumagalli also collaborated with her friends at Cabana<\/a>, the Italian interiors magazine and lifestyle platform, on a pop-up section in Caraluna, featuring Teresa Cercava<\/a> (\u201cTeresa was looking for\u201d in English), a selection of vintage finds curated by Maccapani Missoni, including a ceramics collection she developed featuring the work of Sardinian artisans, as well as her collection with Marina Rinaldi, which includes a fanciful navy crocheted handbag adorned with colorful beads.<\/p>\n For basics, Maccapani Missoni recommends Sigfrido<\/a>, which carries labels like Hartford and Aspesi. \u201cI\u2019ve been shopping there since I was a child,\u201d said Maccapani Missoni, who stocks up on Dries Van Noten T-shirts at the boutique, located in the Piazzetta. \u201cThey have beautiful brands.\u201d<\/p>\n Where to Hit the Spa<\/p>\n The Due Lune\u2019s spa<\/a> is worth scheduling around. Fumagalli recommends the Mediterranean massage, performed with essential oils made from herbs grown in the hotel\u2019s own garden like lavender and mirto.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Due Lune Puntaldia Resort & Golf, an SLH Hotel<\/p>\n Where to Grab an Al Fresco Drink<\/p>\n For a cocktail at sunset, Fumagalli favors the bar at the Due Lune \u201cbecause we have good music. The sunset here, the terrace, and the wind, the sky\u2014it\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n Fumagalli and Maccapani Missoni also bring friends to Tavernetta Beach<\/a> for a sunset aperitivo. \u201c[It] has an incredible sunset that gets reflected on the water of the sea.\u201d Fumagalli adds, \u201cIt\u2019s like a chiringuito [a Spanish open-air beach bar] by the beach in front of Tabolara. Very chill, good music, and they serve sushi as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Where to Go for a Beach Day<\/p>\n There are two main beaches on the Puntaldia Peninsula: La Cinta<\/a> and Lu Impostu<\/a>. La Cinta, a three-mile crescent-shaped stretch of beach with powdery white sand, is ideal for a long walk and for familes. \u201cThe water is shallow for at least 10 to 15 meters (30 to 50 feet),\u201d Fumagalli says. \u201cIt\u2019s like having the Caribbean one hour away [by plane] from Milan.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cWe swim with the children over to Lu Impostu beach for an ice cream, or wander towards La Cinta to visit friends and search for crabs,\u201d says Von Lobkowicz. \u201cOne of my favorite things is swimming through the narrow water channel to the more remote side of the beach. No matter the high season, you end up being practically alone there.\u201d<\/p>\n Where to Go for a Day Trip<\/p>\n San Pantaleo, an authentic Sardinian village an hour inland from the peninsula in a mountain valley, has been there since the early 1800s. \u201cIt has this hippie vibe,\u201d Maccapani Missoni explains. \u201cYou enjoy the shopping, and then you go for aperitivo, and you can actually see the beauty of the place.\u201d There is a market every Thursday, as well as several boutiques worth browsing for resortwear; Foresta G<\/a> makes all its prints in-house. For a stunning sunset view of the mountain landscape, head to the rooftop of Ristorante Agave<\/a> for aperitivo. \u201cThe view, it looks like you\u2019re on the moon,\u201d Fumagalli adds.<\/p>\n A visit to Tavolara Island, accessible only by boat, is \u201cessential\u201d according to Von Lobkowicz. A shepherd named Giuseppe Bertoleoni once impressed King Carlo Alberto of Savoy so thoroughly that the king appointed him ruler of the island. The royal cemetery, where his descendants are buried, remains. \u201cClimbing to the top is still on my bucket list,\u201d says Von Lobkowicz, \u201cbut a visit to the graveyard is a must.\u201d Maccapani Missoni describes the island as \u201ca submerged dinosaur.\u201d<\/p>\n When<\/p>\n April through October are the ideal months to travel to the Puntaldia Peninsula. Be mindful that Italians tend to holiday in August, so July and August will be the most crowded period in the summer. \u201cIt\u2019s a place that is different from any other in Sardinia,\u201d says Fumagalli. \u201cThey would say it\u2019s quiet luxury, and it still has a very Italian allure to it.\u201d<\/p>\n