Costa Smeralda

Coastline of Gallura, in the north-east of Sardinia, whose name was coined in the Sixties. The coast is characterized by numerous bays, beaches and small islands, among which Archipelago La Maddalena. The territory, mostly uninhabited until the first half of the twentieth century, in 1962 saw the birth of Consorzio Costa Smeralda by the will of Ismaili Prince Karim Aga Khan, becoming a place of choice for international celebrities. The heart of Costa Smeralda is Porto Cervo, whose symbol is Stella Maris, church work by architect Michele Busiri Vici. In the waters of Costa Smeralda operates international research center "Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute" (BDRI), which carries out its applied research, conservation and environmental education on dolphins.