You can admire the Pink Beach, an inestimable treasure on the island of Budelli, from ‘a safe distance’, like a work of art found in nature, accompanied by a guide from the Maddalena Archipelago Park. It is named after the colour of its sand, made of miniscule fragments of coral, granite and shells, including that of a pink micro-organism. The turquoise sea breaks on the reddish shore, with the colour and scents of the Mediterranean vegetation in the background. This treasure, unique in the world, enjoys integral protection – landing, swimming and anchoring are forbidden on the beach – and inspired Michelangelo Antonioni for scenes in ‘Red Desert’ in 1964.

More than a cove, it is a natural pool with colour ranging from aquamarine to blue and light green. Cala Sabina is reached by sea, with regulations and permits issued by the authority that manages the Asinara Park, or by land, following the path rising from the village of Cala d'Oliva. One of the best protected treasures of the island is the one where swimming is allowed. And it offers an unforgettable experience: the sand is so soft it feels like flour and the water is so clear one can see daring fish swim up to you.

At the end of a windy road wedged in a valley, between hills of mining deposits, the ruins of installations and ghost villages from the mining adventure, the intense brightness of a stretch of ochre-yellow sand appears. It is the pearl of the Green Coast, in the area of Arbus; it is one of the wonders of the Mediterranean; it is Piscinas. Very tall and curvaceous dunes, desert-like, shaped by the north-west wind, extend as far as the eye can see, from inland to the sea, covered with clumps of century-old juniper bushes with twisted branches, mastic trees and wild olives. Sardinian deer roam here, while sea turtles lay their eggs on the shore.

Porto Zafferano is a daytime dream of a holiday by the sea. Like dreams it is fleeting: a corner of paradise within the military area of Teulada. One can reach it only in July and August, only by boat, from the delightful beaches of Tuerredda and Porto Tramatzu. Its isolation contributes to the sensation of a place out of this world. There are not limits to the memories it leaves: it is a half-moon of white and fine grains with soft hints of pink thanks to the fragments of shell left by the waves. The soft sand is immersed in shallow waters with infinite shades of aquamarine. The mountains behind echo the outline of a sleeping woman.

From Porto Tramatzu you can reach Porto Zafferano by boat, but before (and after) the exhilarating excursion, you should fully enjoy this other marvel of nature. The sand is beautifully white and soft, while the sea is green and turquoise with clear and shallow water for dozens of metres. And it is, so to speak, the 'city beach' of Teulada, although there are a few kilometres separating the two. In front of it the rocky profile of Isola Rossa stands out, covered in Mediterranean scrub. You can walk to it, with no need to swim, because the sea is not deep here. Part of the beach falls within a military area, but can be used in the summer months.

A marvellous stretch of the Sarrabus coast, and one of the most beautiful in the Mediterranean, within the military area of Salto di Quirra. After twenty years of being partially off-limits, since 2016 a larger area has been open to the public from June to September. The large beach at Murtas, also known as ‘di Quirra’ or s’Acqua Durci, is the forbidden (in part) ‘pearl’ of the Villaputzu coast and is a full six kilometres long, with light-coloured sand in medium and large grains, mixed with some smooth pebbles; it is hemmed in by large dunes, and is bathed by extremely clear, bright blue water.

The shining white sand suddenly opens up before you after a long road framed by juniper bushes, pines and holm oaks. It feels like the setting of a fairy tale, but it actually exists. It is the oasis of Bidderosa: five small white sand coves, within a park of Mediterranean trees, on the Orosei coastline. Only a limited number of people are allowed in, from May to the end of October. If you cycle or walk, there are no restrictions, but you have to follow the rules that protect this magical enclave of calm and silence. You can even get here by swimming the short stretch from nearby Cala Ginepro: at low tide, the water is only a metre deep.