SPIAGGIE DI TORTOLI

Just head south along the coast and you'll find some superb beaches. In the space of a day, you'll go from heavenly fine white sand to pink and red rocks to black pebbles, all bathed in a cameo of blues. The following beaches are a 20 and 45-minute drive away.

Lido di Orrì: one of the first large beaches, much appreciated for its white sand and totally transparent sea. You can go to the rocks at the end of the beach to enjoy the panorama. A metal cage, a stainless-steel work by Milanese sculptor Massimo Kaufmann, symbolizes man's solitude in the face of the grandeur of nature that imprisons him. It's also the first beach on which everyone stops in the high season, while other similar, quieter beaches lurk if you keep driving.

Cea: a little further south, we come to Cea and its magnificent Spiaggia di Cea (known as Scoglius Arrubius) with red reefs, white sands, turquoise sea, and two large red porphyry rocks emerging from the sea, which makes it so special.

Su Sirboni: a wilder cove lined with red rocks that's well worth the detour, the walk over the rocks to the pinkish sand and the dive. Take the small staircase on the road at Sa Perda Pera.

Coccorocci : go around the mountain to the south and descend to this long beach of white, grey and black pebbles, which gives it the appearance of a black beach. It is quite majestic, framed by cliffs and vegetation.