Sardinia

Sardinia is not a quick island. It is bigger than you expect, with two coasts, a granite spine, and interior villages where Italian sounds like a second language. Seven days gives you enough room to pick a base or two without spending the trip in the car. Most travelers split between the north (Olbia, Alghero, the Costa Smeralda) and the wilder east coast around the Golfo di Orosei. A balanced week looks like three nights up north, three nights east or south, and a buffer day for the beach you cannot leave.

Start with water. The La Maddalena archipelago is best seen by skippered gozzo from Palau or Cannigione; bring lunch and stop at Cala Corsara. Down the east coast, Cala Goloritzé requires a 90-minute hike from the Altopiano del Golgo, and the limestone arch at the end is worth every switchback. If you prefer pulling up to a beach by car, Chia and Tuerredda in the south have shallow water and a few good kiosks for fried calamari and vermentino.

Inland is where Sardinia gets strange and excellent. Drive into the Barbagia mountains for lunch at an agriturismo near Oliena: porceddu roasted over myrtle wood, sheep's milk ricotta, seadas drizzled with bitter honey. Mamoiada has the Museo delle Maschere if you want context on the island's pre-Christian carnival traditions. Closer to Cagliari, the nuraghe at Barumini is the best-preserved Bronze Age site in the Mediterranean.

May, June, and September are the sweet spots; July and August get crowded and pricey. Mid-range here means small hotels in Alghero's old town, a stazzo (converted shepherd's cottage) in Gallura, or family-run B&Bs in Cala Gonone, generally 120 to 200 euros a night. Rent a car at the airport. The roads are good, the signage is honest, and the best meals are always thirty minutes from the coast.