Villa for two to eight persons in the beautiful bay of Porto Frailis.

://internationalliving.com/2010/06/08-sardinia-one-of-the-top-five-healthiest-places-to-live/ Sardinia is famous for its coastline and its nature; where the beaches are picturesque and the water assumes emerald green tones in its\' crystal clearness. It\'s also famous for the prehistoric buildings called nuraghi frequently to be seen in the countryside and well worth a visit. Tiscali being the most famous one in the vicinity of Nuoro. Naturally what interests us more are the roads. A few years ago the Italian government decided to revitalize the island\'s poor economy, based mainly on farming and pastures, by investing in the island\'s infrastructures and initialized a program to improve the road network. The result has been that Sardinia has probably some of the best kept roads in Italy. Smooth and grippy with extremely low traffic they\'re a feast for sports-tourers and sports bikes. The northern and central parts of the island are the most scenic and interesting to ride. Starting in S. Teresa di Gallura you can follow the excellent coastal road all the way to Stintino and overnight in Alghero. If you are planning a few days in the northern part of Sardinia then you must also ride the roads near Tempio Pausania, especially the S 392 towards Lago del Coghinas. From Stintino ride down to Bosa. This stretch is amazing. The views are fabulous and the road is wide and twists its\' way along the bays. From Bosa you should easily reach the Gennargentu park. This Park is in the center of the island and the views from Soprammonte are wonderful. As you can see from the map of this region the roads seldom come in a straight line and the green border, highlighting the scenic bits, are a constant. From Gennargentu you should head south direction Arbatax along the coast. Arbatax is famous for its\' red rocks. From here head south to Villasimius and then Cagliari.

Porto Frailis is placed on the headland of Bellavista, and is surrounded by a natural scenery of bays and inlets which make it completely unique and fascinating. Good ferry services to the mainland and other parts of Sardinia are provided through the nearby port of Arbatax (approx\' 2 km), and the nearest major airport is Cagliari at around 125 km. This is one of the most sought after locations of the region, with easy access to a wide range of services and amenities at both Porto Frailis and the larger town of Tortoli, whilst being within easy walking distance of the outstanding San Gemiliano beach! Starting from the Rocce Rosse (Red Rocks), famous throughout the world for their particular colour of porphyry, then the splendid Cala Moresca, on the eastern side of the town, and continuing towards the Telis, the Bay of Portofrailis and San Gemiliano - now residential areas built up using some interesting architecture - it is possible to admire different colours and landscapes, all both striking and enchanting is a small harbour in the Ogliastra region. The centre of this small town rises at the bottom of Cape Bellavista - territory enriched with the green-coloured Mediterranean scrub and famous for the characteristic red rocks and the masses of porphyritic granite located close to the harbour.

Porto Frailis has a good choice of bars, restaurants and other services, with the larger town of Tortoli and it\'s associated port, Arbatax, with good ferry services to other parts of Sardinia and the mainland, plus tourist marina, both within just a few minutes drive. Porto Frailis - Arbatax, this is the best well known town of the Ogliastra area, thanks partly to the presence of the commercial and tourist port and thanks also to its rather intriguing name: it derives from an Arabic word meaning \"fourteenth tower\", for the Saracen tower which overlooks the seafront. Arbatax was born as a village of fishermen, many of whom came from the nearby island of Ponza, and it is from fishing that it earned its biggest fortunes, thanks to the significant variety of fish and crustaceans in the area. Diving expeditions to the Archipels of La Maddalena National Park are organised from Capriccioli on the Costa Smeralda.

Arbatax is a small harbour in the Ogliastra region. The centre of this small town rises at the bottom of Cape Bellavista – territory enriched with the green-coloured Mediterranean scrub and famous for the characteristic red rocks and the masses of porphyritic granite located close to the harbour. A true explosion of colours takes place in the spring with the contrast of the rocks of the headland and reef, the beach\'s white sand and the limpid waters. A natural frame to this is the panorama of the surrounding mountains, the highest on the island. Beside the harbour rises a tower from the seventeenth-century while to the right is a prophyry quarry. On the sea, the silhouette of the famous porphyritic reef known as “red rocks\" from Arbatax. In addition, there is a passageway dug into the rock through which access to a small beach at the feet of the rocky walls can be had.

February to November.

Flights to Sardinia While there is plenty to do here all year round, Sardinia has wrongly been regarded as a summer holiday destination. So you will find many charter flights during the summer and fewer regular flights during the winter. The following airlines provide services all year round: Ryan Air- From Alghero to London (Stanstead), Barcelona (Girona), Milan, Pisa, Madrid, Bremen, Dublin, Duesseldorf-Weeze (NRN), Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN), Stockholm S. Skavsta. Also to Liverpool and West Midlands starting from the 30/03/08. Flights Olbia - Birmingham will start on the 04/07/08. Flights from Cagliari go to Barcelona (Girona), Milan, Pisa and Madrid. Easyjet - Olbia to Berlin, Milan, Bristol (from 26/04/08), Geneva (from 28/06/08), London Gatwick (from 22/04/08), Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (from 28/06/08). There are also flights from Cagliari to London Luton and Milan. Air One - From Alghero and Cagliari to various mainland Italy airports. Alitalia - National Airline, covers most destinations and connections but can be expensive. Meridiana - From Olbia and Cagliari to London, Paris and various main Italian destinations. TUI Flight - Cagliari and Olbia to Cologne-Bonn, Munich, Stuttgart. Also, from Olbia there are flights to Frankfurt, Hannover and Hamburg. Air Vallee - From Olbia and Cagliari to Genoa and Alghero to Turin. Air Dolomiti - Connections between Alghero, Venice, Trieste and Verona. VolareWeb - From Alghero, Cagliari and Olbia to Milan. Below are details of some summer flights: Air Italy - Flights from Alghero to Verona, Catania and Naples. Also, flights from Olbia to Naples, Catania, Brindisi, Bari, Milan. Air Alps - Fly twice a week from Olbia to Bolzano, Rimini and Perugia. Air Berlin - Flights from Olbia to Vienna, Zurig, Berlin, Hamburg, Nuremberg and Dusserdolf. Brussels Airlines - Flights from Cagliari to Brussels and Geneva. Jet2 - Olbia/ Leeds Bradford flights (only on Saturday). Myair – Flights from Cagliari and Olbia to Milan and Venice. Welcome Air - Flights from Olbia to Graz, Innsbruck and Nice.

Ferries Sardinia has daily services to mainland Italy and to some Corsica/ France ports. Ferry services are more extensive in the summer, during which a larger number of companies operate. Tirrenia - Tirrenia provides ferry services to and from all Sardinian ports, including Arbatax. Mainland connections are to Genoa, Civitavecchia and Fiumicino (Rome), Naples, Palermo and Trapani (Sicily). Moby Lines - Ferry services between Porto Torres and Genoa, and from Olbia to Genoa, Livorno, Piombino and Civitavecchia. It also provides services between Santa Teresa (North Sardinia) and Bonifacio (Corsica). Corsica Ferries/ Sardinia Ferries - Ferry services are from Golfo Aranci (20Km from Olbia) to Livorno, Civitavecchia, Piombino, Bastia (Corsica). It also provides ferry services between Santa Teresa (North Sardinia) and Bonifacio (Corsica). SNAV - Connections: Olbia/ Civitavecchia, Olbia/ Naples and Cagliari/ Palermo. Grimaldi (Grandi Navi Veloci) - boats to/ from Olbia and Porto Torres to Genoa. Saremar - Small ferries covering local routes (all year round): Palau/ La Maddalena; Carloforte/ Portovesme; Santa Teresa/ Bonifacio. Enermar - Routes Palau/ La Maddalena and Palau Genoa.

Sardinia has a very low criminal rate even kidnapping, which targeted wealthy individuals until the mid 1980s, has completely disappeared. Some areas of Sardinia have a longstanding reputation of family feuds apart from the fact that foreigners were almost never involved in such disputes, these belong now mostly to the past. Beware that some urban areas are unsafe. Be wary of game hunters during the September-February period check with locals, hotel employees, & the website of the Sardinian Region for legal hunting dates. Do not hike in the wilderness during these days! There are protected areas but even these are regularly raided by poachers, especially during the night. From April/May to September, fires plague Sardinia as the rest of the Mediterranean area some are spontaneous wildfires, but most are criminal. Observe the usual precautions. Sardinia is generally forbidden to start domestic fires in forests. Check with local authorities Sardinia is an autonomous region & Italian laws might be superseded by local provisions.

Sardinia, with its quintessential Mediterranean beauty, is mainly loved for swimming, boating, windsurfing, hiking, climbing, and camping, with coastal areas tending to become over touristed especially in the warmest month, August. The inner life of the island away from the tourist spots takes longer to appreciate and requires you to peel away the layers of apparent Italianization. After all, the ancient Nuragic civilization of Sardinia of ca. 1500 BC, whose stone monuments still dot the land, predates even the Etruscan civilization in mainland Italy by several hundred years. The island\'s key attraction of natural beauty is under considerable threat from the ecological damage from livestock, farming, and mass tourism without adequate infrastructure. It is also affected by negative aspects of the Italian \'way of life\' such as an uncontrolled use of strong chemicals and sprays, and the prevalent idea that public land is nobody\'s land, i.e. everybody̢۪s rubbish tip. In general, there seem to be no public funds available for municipal restoration, conservation, and maintenance projects, and too little public awareness of the need for comprehensive, multilayered environmental protections and conservation efforts. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Italian; Sardinian. A little English and French.