CONTACT OWNER

• Gianni Franceschi

Dear People, My name is Gianni Franceschi, born in Lanusei Sardinia. At the age of 18 years I came to The Netherlands where since 1976 I\'m working for The Dow Chemical Company in Terneuzen. Beside my own job, I began renting some houses of family and good friends of mine. The owner on place, will welcome you with open arms. Though, I do have all the responsibility for a smooth and proper running of your vacation and as intermediary \'tween you and the owner of the property.

Payment Terms: Within 7 days after receiving our confirmation on your booking request you have to pay 30% of the total rent deposit. On arrival at your vacation home, the balance due has to be paid to the owner.

Cancellation 9 months to three weeks time before arriving 30% of the total rent payable. If canceled less than the above term is 50% of the total rent payable.

Regarding a withdrawl of your booking in case of serious illness, we can make an agreement that only 15% of the total amount will be paid from your side. Although when demonstrable with an authentic and signed medical certificate (no copies), which can be sent to us for further verification.

Why it is Famous ?

Sardinia is one of five locations identified by the editors of InternationalLiving.com in a recent article on the healthiest places on earth to live. Sardinia, an island of 1.3 million people off Italy�s Mediterranean coast, is a Blue Zone. Blue Zones are areas in the world that have been determined by scientists as places where the people live the longest. Sardinia has some of the oldest people on earth, and Sardinian food may be the reason for their health and longevity. The Mediterranean Diet is no doubt good for you, and Sardinians actually live the Mediterranean lifestyle, too. This could be the key to their incredible health and longevity. Sardinian wine, cheese, and bread have something extra going for them. Sardinians produce a number of wines, but a local variety called Cannonau, a dark red wine, contains the world�s highest levels of antioxidants. Experts have also found that, while the Sardinian diet isn�t heavy on fish, which is the usual dietary source of essential Omega-3 fatty acids, Sardinians get heaps of this dietary boon from a local cheese called pecorino sardo, made from the milk of grass-feed sheep. Sardinians also commonly eat simply, homemade breads that contain vitamins and lactic acids that fight harmful bacterial in the digestive tract. Experts suspect that these three pillars of the Sardinian diet�dark red wine, fresh country cheese, and homemade bread�combined with other lifestyle and dietary factors, could be the keys to living a longer, healthier life no matter where you live. �For 30 years we�ve been providing information on places where people can live better for less,� says Jackie Flynn, publisher of InternationalLiving.com. �There are places on earth where people live simple, healthy lives without the financial and social worries that weigh so heavily on people in modern, industrialized countries. We asked our editors and contributors around the world to come up with their top five, and Sardinia made the cut, as did New Zealand, Panama, Costa Rica, and Ecuador. �These places can not only help you live a longer life,� says Flynn, �but can also save you significant money on cost of living, and that�s good for your bottom line as well.�

Facts About Destination

Tortoli and Arbatax: These are the best well known towns of the Ogliastra area, thanks partly to the presence of the commercial and tourist port and thanks also to its rather intriguing name: it derives from an Arabic word meaning \"fourteenth tower\", for the Saracen tower which overlooks the seafront. Arbatax was born as a village of fishermen, many of whom came from the nearby island of Ponza, and it is from fishing that it earned its biggest fortunes, thanks to the significant variety of fish and crustaceans in the area. Arbatax is placed on the headland of Bellavista, and is surrounded by a natural scenery of bays and inlets which make it completely unique and fascinating. Starting from the Rocce Rosse (Red Rocks), famous throughout the world for their particular colour of porphyry, then the splendid Cala Moresca, on the eastern side of the town, and continuing towards the Telis, the Bay of Portofrailis and San Gemiliano - now residential areas built up using some interesting architecture - it is possible to admire different colours and landscapes, all both striking and enchanting. Today, Tortolì is the most important centre in the entire Ogliastra region. Its economy, once based on agriculture, today concentrates on the service industry, thanks to the presence of the Arbatax harbour and to the new airport. Of them all, the tourism sector has grown the most, transforming the area into a sought-after tourist destination.

Area Information

Tortolì � Arbatax offer many essential services for the perfect holiday. The construction of the tourist port in Arbatax, thanks to its services, has widened the range of offers available to tourists and made it an important stopover for pleasure-trippers who cruise along the eastern coast.In the territory of Tortolì there are also quite a few archaeological areas of great interest. The major ones are near the country churches of S. Salvatore, a temple surrounded by menhirs, domus de janas, giants� tombs and nuraghi, and S.Lussorio, which is next to the ruins of a village dating back to the Roman era.Along the streets one can find Su logo de s�iscultura, an open air contemporary art museum which displays works by artists such as Mauro Staccioli, Antonio Levolella, Umberto Mariani, Maria Lai, Ascanio Renda, Pietro Colella and Hietotiski Nagasawa. The whole area of Ogliastra includes fine white sand beaches, crystal-clear waters, cliffs which fall sheer to the sea, age-old woods and dry desert plains. Sailing along the wonderful coast it possible to admire some of the most beautiful bays of the Mediterranean: Cala Gonone, Cala Luna, Cala Goloritzè are nowadays very well-know destinations for tourism.

How to reach

The question is how to get to Sardinia?? Depending on how much time you have got, you can either fly in or arrive to Sardinia by ferry. Getting a flight to Sardinia is easy during the summer. With the very up to date Costa Smeralda airport, strategically placed in the middle of Olbia, on the North-east coast of Sardina, it is so straightforward to rent a car, jump on a train or a coach or simply hire a taxi to take you to your chosen holiday spot. The Sardinia luxury villas on the North east coast are all near to Olbia. Easyjet connects Olbia to Berlin, Milan Malpensa, London Gatwick, Lyon, Paris Orly, Basel as well as Geneva and the low cost air carrier company Jet2.com takes you to Olbia in Sardinia from Leeds and Edinburgh every Saturday during the summer. Olbia is connected by flight with all states in Western Europe. Simply Google Costa Smeralda airport to find your connection. If you have the time - there is no more desirable way to arrive to Sardina than on a ferry across the Mediterranean Sea. The white beaches and the crystal clear turquoise waters encompassing Sardinia is an invigorating welcome that turns on you holiday mood from the first second. You can get to Sardinia by ferry from mainland Italy or from Barcelona in Spain, or even from Bonifacio in Corsica. From mainland Italy you can begin a voyage to Olbia in Sardinia from Civitavecchia, Genoa, Livorno, Napoli and Piombino. You can also arrive to Sardinia from Palermo and Trapani in Sicily - but these ferries sail into Cagliari on the South end of the island. The ferry from Barcelona in Spain arrives into Porto Torres on the North-west side of Sardinia. This ferry crossing takes a little more than twelve hours. It departs from Barcelona in the evening and arrives in Sardinia between 10 and 11 the next morning. Easy guide on how to get to Sardinia by ferry: Mainland Italy to Olbia, Sardinia from: Civitavecchia Genoa Livorno

Transport system

Discovering Sardinia by public transport is an original idea, and despite certain complications, it can offer pleasing surprises and awaken unexpected sensations. The means of public transport that connect the island are mainly buses and trains. There are also ferries that link the mainland to the islands of Asinara, San Pietro and La Maddalena. The road network is lacking and in many areas out-of-date: there are no superhighways, and technically not even any highways. This lack of efficiency is reflected in the low maximum speed limit of 90 km/h. When travelling by bus, this results in travel times that are less than ideal, with lengthy trips taking place at inconvenient hours of the day. With regard to rail travel, the situation is not much different. In Sardinia, the railways of Trenitalia proudly reject any electrical upgrades and double track lines, leading to imaginable consequences in terms of inconvenience and travel time. Under the auspices of the regional Sardinian transport company ARST Gestione F.d.S. s.r.l., Sardinian Railways have been in operation since June 16, 2008. The line crosses forests, ravines, mountain passes of extreme beauty, while going over evocative bridges and through tunnels. This said, the train should not be considered an easy way to get from place to place, since timetables and travelling times are often discouraging as well. Nonetheless, the train provides a unique opportunity to discover the most hidden parts of the region. If despite these drawbacks you are still determined to discover the island in greater depth, this is the guide for you. It is dedicated to those tourists with the spirit of true travellers. To those who cannot content themselves with just seeing, but who also want to understand.

Precautions

Sardinia is part of the Mediterranean area and shares its specific hazards. A few basic precautions are generally enough to stay out of trouble, especially during summer and autumn. Sardinia is scarcely populated, in particular the interior; help is not always easily found, and there remain large patches of land where mobile-phone coverage is inexistent (e.g. at the bottom of sheltered valleys). Terrain, despite the lack of high elevations, is generally rugged and steep; this, in combination with heat and lack of water, can quickly lead to disaster. Beware! Summer is everywhere hot, and the sun quite strong; the usual precautions to avoid heatstroke and sunburns apply. From May to September, water scarcity in the country is a serious problem. Always take a lot of water with you (especially so when hiking), even if you plan a short trip; bringing along fresh watery fruit (such as peaches) is also helpful. While tap water is generally (but not always) safe, it is recommended to buy bottled mineral water; remember that sweating implies loss of water and of mineral salts. Autumn is generally fine, but can become very unpleasant because of the heavy rainstorms and hilly topography, creating possibilities for land- and mud- slides; always check the weather before planning a trip, even with your car. Winter and spring are generally safer, with pleasantly mild weather (especially during the day) and abundance of water; but remember that to higher elevations corresponds an increasingly colder weather and larger precipitation. Much of Sardinia (especially the Western part) is very windy from September to April; all drivers, and in particular those with campers, must exercise caution.

Lifestyle

Cala Gonone is a town abundant in natural beauty but, as Robyn Rosenfeldt discovered, there�s a whole lot more that lies beneath the surface Leaving the wild ranges of the Barbagia behind me, I entered the long dark tunnel that cuts through the limestone mountains to the sea. Coming out the other end, I was confronted with a sight that would cheer any weary traveller�s eyes: an endless expanse of blue. Following the winding road that leads down the mountainside to the town of Cala Gonone, all I could think of was being in that beautiful Mediterranean sea. I pulled up in the street that fronts the town and without stopping to look around, ran straight to the sea and dived into the aquamarine waters that make Sardinia so famous. It wasn�t until I emerged, cooled and refreshed, that I took the time to look at the town itself. Going to the Limit Cala Gonone, nestled inconspicuously in the Gulf of Orosei, on the east coast of Sardinia, is the jewel of the island. With its ideal geographical position, it has quickly made a name for itself as an adventure sports mecca. With limestone cliffs behind and beside the town centre, pristine Mediterranean waters and plenty of secluded coastline, it makes the perfect spot for those who want to get out and be active.

Best time to visit

February to November

Languages

Italian