To best enjoy a destination during a stay, you must discover its characteristics, taste every flavor and visit every hidden corner. Here are some useful tips to better enjoy your holiday in Stintino.
Stintino is a small quiet village in the most extreme point north-west of Sardinia, recently added by the Italian TV program Kilimanjaro on Rai 3, in the list of the 10 most beautiful villages in Italy during the competition ‘Il Borgo dei Borghi‘ (The Village of the Villages).
There are many pearls enclosed by this narrow strip of land bathed by a turquoise and clear sea and overlooking the Gulf of Asinara, which gives to all the lucky tourists an unforgettable view of the island and the beach of La Pelosa.
In Stintino, which was born only in 1885 at the behest of a group of fishermen of Asinara, you can first of all stay at the Club Esse Roccaruja, which enjoys its privileged position a stone’s throw from the fine white sand of La Pelosa, or at the exclusive Club Esse Sporting,a pearl set in the Mediterranean spot of Capo Falcone.
Once you have chosen the seaside resort you prefer in this north-western Sardinia, all you have to do is plan your holiday. Here is a small guide to Stintino, with some tips and tourist information that will help you discover its true essence.
The most beautiful beaches of Stintino
On the highest podium, there can only be her, the third most beautiful beach in Italy, voted by TripAdvisor users: her majesty La Pelosa. With its white sand, turquoise and clear waters and shallow sunbed, it competes with the most beautiful beaches in the world.
On the coast that goes from Stintino to Porto Torres, you should definitely visit the beaches of Punta Negra and Cala Lupo.
Continuing along the coast, keep a few days of your holiday to take a dip at the Saline beach, particular for its white sand grains as big as hailstones, and to visit the beaches of Ezzi Mannu and Pazzona, which in addition to their golden sands, retain the same colors of the sea that you can see from Stintino.
On the other side of this tongue of land that Stintino is, it is worth visit the suggestive beach of Coscia di Donna, set in the singular ‘lunar‘ landscape behind the promontory of Capo Falcone.
What to do and what to see on holiday in Stintino
Without delay and without any doubt, once you put your luggages in the room, plan your excursion to admire the wild nature of the Asinara Natural Park. You can do it comfortably from the two resorts.
If you love adventure, choose to visit the island with a Jeep, thanks to the Asinara 4×4 excursions that will make you experience the Park wonders from a different point of view. If instead you are a sea dog and you would like to board a catamaran, to be amazed by the turquoise shades of the gulf sea, then your best option will be to rely on the sails of Escursioniasinara.com.
If you love snorkeling, Stintino and the Gulf of Asinara, offer the perfect habitat to discover the flora and fauna of these rich seabed. And if you do not have any equipment, at the Roccaruja store you’ll find what’s right for you.
Stintino city centre is very picturesque, with a beautiful marina. The village tightens around the church of Immacolata concezione, while the urban landscape is characterized by low and colored houses.
Do not miss Portu Mannu and Portu Minori, equipped for nautical tourism.
If trekking and exploration are on your agenda, you will find very suggestive the path through which you can reach the extreme point of Capo Falcone, promontory that will offer you an exciting view on the gulf.
Fishing lovers will certainly find interesting a visit to the MUT, the Museo della Tonnara di Stintino (Museum of the Tuna of Stintino), which describes the traditional method of fishing tuna, practiced in the Gulf of Asinara until the last century, tells the lives of men who have fished and worked with fatigue and tenacity and that contains the identity of an entire village.
For those who love shopping, among the small and characteristic shops in the city center you’ll find the opportunity to buy souvenirs and articles related to local crafts.
A holiday with children in northern Sardinia
In addition to the very rich program of the Hero Camp, the mini club in the resorts, in a scenario like Stintino there are plenty of opportunities to practice water sports, with kitesurfing, sailing and windsurfing lessons for the little ones.
In the village, throughout the season, you can enjoy evenings and occasions to entertain your kids, with shows and street artists, jugglers and acrobats.
And why not take your little ones to explore the Asinara National Park on board the wheeled train: it will be an experience that will make them enjoy learning the respect for the environment and the history of the island, with the unique opportunity to see the meek white donkeys, typical attraction of the island.
If you can then cut out a day to enjoy pure fun, the water slides, attractions and shows of the water park Water Paradise, on the road between Porto Torres and Castelsardo, will be the perfect place to entertain everyone in the family.
Where to eat typical Sardinian cuisine, and not only, in Stintino
Stintino, being a seaside destination in the north-west of Sardinia, and born as a small fishing village, has a long and “tasty” tradition of delicious recipes, where triumphant is the freshest fish product you can find everywhere.
Among the typical products that you must taste at all costs there are sea urchins, a wide selection of seafood, shellfish and bottarga (food that is obtained by drying the fish ovarium in the sun).
Among the typical dishes of the area, you will find potato and lobster soup, linguine with lobster, octopus in garlic and Stintinian octopus (an octopus salad with potatoes, vinegar, parsley and, often, onions).
The typical dessert of Stintino is the Tumbarella, less known than the typical Sardinian Seada, which, instead of cheese, is stuffed with ricotta cheese, fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. The ones produced in the housing development of San Nicola, only 12 km away, are very popular and, therefore, requested.
However, both in the center of the town and on the seafront of Stintino, you will be spoiled for choice among restaurants, sandwich shops, pizzerias and shops where you can buy tasty local products from Stintino, taking a piece of northern Sardinia home with you.
Among the restaurants on the sea in Stintino, a good choice could be the Gabbiano Beach Restaurant, where you can opt for a light lunch, an aperitif admiring the sunset or a dinner based on fresh fish. And all this in an exclusive location on a beautiful beach and in front of the evocative view of the Gulf of Asinara.
For an evening in the village, if you want to taste the fresh local fish delicacies, practically on the sea and with the background of the historic port of Porto Minore, then your destination is called The Darsena Restaurant.
Then if you want to go on classic and try a good pizza, then your choice should fall on di Bolina, with a terrace overlooking the beautiful old port.
How to get to Stintino
By car
From Olbia Costa Smeralda airport (146 km) you first have to reach Sassari by the SS 131 and then continue towards Porto Torres following the SP 57 (Olbia – Stintino).
From Alghero’s Riviera del Corallo Airport (67 km) you can reach Stintino via Porto Torres and continue towards Stintino (50 km | Alghero – Stintino).
By bus
To reach Stintino by public transport, we invite you to consult the Sardegna Mobilità website, o the arst one, regional transport website at the time of your departure, as schedules and routes may vary.
If you travel with ferries
Now you have everything you need to capture the true essence of Stintino, destination of northern Sardinia much visited by tourists from all around the world. And if you still had some doubts, or some curiosity, with this short guide to the village and its most beautiful beaches, you can now book your holiday with more serenity and awareness.
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