My perfect day in Gallura, Sardinia

Carla Capalbo tells Decanter her perfect day in Gallura, Sardinia, in the Northeastern corner of the island.

Gallura, Sardinia is Vermentino’s natural home and has been cultivated there since the 14th century. Carlo Capalbo tells Decanter her ideal day in Gallura, Sardinia Vermento country.

Morning

At Antica Dimora La Coronoa, wake up to a breakfast of Sardinian pastries and sheep’s ricotta in a handsomely restored 18th-century house in the village of San Pantaleo. From there it’s a short drive across the hills to Capichera winery near Arzachena and Cudacciolu, run by Emanuele Ragnedda with his father and uncle. ‘My family has been in Sardinia for 300 years, and was the first, in 1980, to make single-varietal Vermentino,’ he says. Make sure you visit the Giant’s Tomb, a stone megalith from Sardinia’s Nuragic Bronze Age civilisation – more than 3,000 exist in Sardinia.

Afternoon

After tasting the wines and some local salumi, head down to Porto Cervo – full of cafés and designer shops – to eat lunch in one of Hotel Cervo’s restaurants, such as Il Pomodoro, which has the area’s best pizza. There are breezy sea views from the terrace, perfect for people-watching. After lunch, drive a few kilometres to Palau and take the boat around Isola della Maddalena national park, an unspoiled, seven-island archipelago close to southern Corsica.

Evening and overnight

In the late afternoon stop in at Vigne Surrau, east of Arzachena. This estate is impressive, with a modern building for tasting and buying wines, sampling local pecorino cheeses and salumi, and learning about winemaking. They produce five versions of Vermentino, including one sparkling and a sweet passito. Meals can be ordered in advance. After that aperitivo, drive west for 15 minutes to Agriturismo Tenuta Pilastru for dinner and an overnight stay. The food is strictly Sardinian.