Relax in Olbia, Sardinia’s Quiet Ancient Port
Olbia bay viewed from the Lungomare city side promenade
“…the only way to counteract chaos is stillness. … when the surface is wavy, dive deep for quieter waters.” – Kristin Armstrong
Located on the northeastern coast of Sardinia, Italy’s second largest island after Sicily, on the Emerald Coast, Olbia is as quiet as it is ancient. First settled by the Bronze Age Nuragic culture, who left stone tower-fortresses, the area passed to the Phoenicians around 750BC, whose merchants built a settlement between two rivers at the end of a narrow fjord that widens into a lagoon. Then came the Greeks, who gave it the name Olbios, meaning happy; thereafter, Carthaginians, and then Romans, who made Olbia an important port city. During the later Vandal and Byzantine periods, the city was known as Fausania and Civita. In the Middle Ages, it became Terranova, the capital of Gallura, one of four independent Sardinian states. Only in 1939 did Olbia again adopt its ancient name.
While the ancient city retains scars, having been destroyed several times and suffering a millennium of stagnation after the Vandal invasion, it has continued and thrived. Today, Olbia’s economy relies on the food industry and tourism, yet the town is a quiet place to relax and explore, starting at the long tree-lined waterfront promenade. This includes parks, playgrounds, a large Ferris wheel in Parco Giarinetti, and the notable Archeological Museum on the harbor front.
Across a main thoroughfare, the old town is small and quaint. The main street, Corso Umberto I, is lined with attractive 3-4 story buildings, painted pale colors and adorned with ornate metal-railed balconies, which house independent shops and good restaurants. The Corso is intersected by numerous side streets and alleyways that lead from one shady square to another: some squares are lined with benches under Jacaranda trees; Piazza Giacomo Matteotti has an attractive fountain; another square is dominated by the Parish Church of San Paolo Apostolo, built upon an ancient temple and topped with a beautiful colored cupola; Piazza Mercato square is covered for the weekly Tuesday market. Near the market, a 64-meter (210 feet) long section of a Punic Era (Carthaginian) perimeter wall remains and includes the base of a quadrangular great tower that contained an elliptical water storage tank.
Outside the old town, the 11th-century Basilica of San Simpilico was built of local granite on a hilltop surrounded by a cemetery, where a pagan temple once stood. Simplicio, patron Saint of Olbia, was martyred on this spot by Emperor Diocletian. It is the most significant and majestic Romanesque church of the area, unusual with its three naves. Nearby, across a canal and railroad tracks in a newer neighborhood, the spacious Park Fausto Noce, surrounded by canals, encompasses playing fields, tennis courts, dog walks, and shady winding paths that lead to cooling fountains and pass flowering oleander bushes. Several blocks away, in an outer neighborhood on the Via Sangallo, the Saturday market is well-visited. Residents call at distinct sections to shop for locally grown produce, cheeses and salamis, honey, baked goods, and clothing.
A day trip into the countryside along winding roads leads in 20 minutes to Porto Rotondo, 15km (9 mi) away on a peninsula jutting into the emerald sea. The elegant village, where car traffic is limited, was founded in 1969 by two Venetian brothers as a hub for culture and art. The picturesque alleyways are best explored on foot to take in the magical small plazas, flower-filled terraces, and the harbor full of pleasure yachts.
Don’t Miss:
Taking a leisurely evening walk through town with an ice cream, as the day turns cool and the blue sky turns azure.
Serendipity:
Locals along the way- meeting an elderly gentleman at the park entrance who wants to have a Saturday morning conversation in Italian.
Lunch Tip:
Osteria del Coro on Olbia’s Corso Umberto I, for a delicious cooling salad. Ristorante Il Tartarughino in Porto Rotondo for excellent pizza and salads.
Dinner Tip:
Piperita Patty in a courtyard off the main street for innovative fresh fish dishes and a lovely atmosphere.
Bedtime:
La Locanda Del Conte Mameli, an intimate hotel in an ancient Olbia townhouse.
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*All photographs are mine, taken with my Nikon D5600 or iPhone 14 Pro.*