Olbia

Olbia is the main port and airport city of northeast Sardinia, the arrival point for most visitors to the Costa Smeralda and Gallura. Founded by Greeks and Carthaginians and later a Roman harbour, it keeps a lively old centre around the Corso Umberto and the Romanesque granite Basilica of San Simplicio. The archaeological museum on the waterfront displays Roman ships recovered from the harbour. Nuragic sanctuaries such as Cabu Abbas and the sacred well of Sa Testa lie just outside the town. Beaches like Pittulongu, boats to the island of Tavolara and good seafood make Olbia more than a transit stop.