Mediterranean scents, an emerald green sea and soft white sand, mixed with colourful pebbles. Marina di Sorso, a small town a few kilometres from Sassari, is part of a seven-kilometre long beach, bordered by a forest of pine trees and junipers, and is the eastern continuation of the equally long, wide beach of Platamona. Together, they occupy a stretch of 15 kilometres - 10 to 30 metres wide - of the northwestern coast of the island. It is very close to the local inhabited areas: you can reach it from the scenic road that connects Porto Torres and Castelsardo or from Sorso along a specific spur road or from the capital Sassari, along the provincial road SP 60, known as Buddi.

The transparent water is mostly emerald green in colour reflecting shades of blue, while the sandy seabed slopes rapidly and the farthest point of the soft sand is dotted with lush, spontaneous vegetation: thistles, dwarf palms and sea daffodils. These characteristics make it one of the most popular beaches on the Sassari coast: from the sand, you can admire beautiful sunsets with the island of Asinara in the background. It is highly-frequented but never excessively crowded: its size allows you to enjoy days of total relaxation. It has easy access: there are various roads branching off the road that runs alongside the coast (state road SS 200), which lead to the coast and are known as ‘pettini’ (combs): the third one takes you to the large parking area in the Marina. There are plenty of services and amenities: establishments for renting beach equipment and pedaloes, refreshment areas, bars and restaurants set in a green area, where you can take shelter from the summer heat. Behind the beach, a dense, welcoming pine forest protects the sand dunes and offers camping areas. If you are a kitesurf or windsurf enthusiast, this is the ideal beach for you, all year round. There is a variety of accommodation of all categories to choose from nearby.

The Marina is undoubtedly the major attraction along the long Sorso coastline, but it isn’t the only one. You will find other sandy stretches, with shallow waters ideal for children: Pulchili, near the mouth of the river Silis consists of fine, light sand and is the continuation heading east from the Marina. Even further east, you will come across Maritza, a long beach of light grey sand that gets darker with pebbles in its final stretch. Lastly, there is the pebbly La Tonnara. Towards the west you will encounter the other huge and beautiful expanse of sand washed by a sea of shimmering colours: Platamona, the ‘beach of the Sassari inhabitants’, which extends from the tower of Abbaicurrente (Porto Torres) to Marina di Sorso. Itineraries along the nearby pond of Platamona are ideal for continuing to walk through the solitary, wild nature. You will cross paths surrounded by lush vegetation and little bridges where you can do some birdwatching and admire the aquatic birds that nest in the fresh waters of the pond: great white egrets, mallards and western swamphens.

After the sea, you can dedicate some time to visiting Sorso, a small town a few kilometres from Sassari, in the historical territory of Romangia. The town is surrounded by olive groves and vineyards that produce excellent olive oil and Vermentino wine. In the medieval historic centre, where the houses are made of tuff, don’t miss the seventeenth-century baronial palace, the fountain of Billellera, the waters of which, according to legend, make you go mad, the neoclassical parish church of San Pantaleo and the church of Noli me tollere, the site of a deeply venerated simulacrum. The most famous archaeological site is Jelithon, inhabited since prehistoric times. Then there is the sacred well of Serra Niedda dating back to the Bronze Age. At the site of Santa Filitica, where the Carthaginians built a fortress and which was later occupied by the Romans, a villa was built with thermal baths and a floor decorated with mosaics. On it, in the Byzantine period, an Early Christian religious building was built, followed by a church dedicated to the saint.