A breath taking view named after the extraordinary particularity of the porphyry cliffs that rise from the sea. The Red Rocks Bay opens to the east of the Arbatax port, a tourist neighbourhood of Tortolì, with a background of white rocks and tall red granite boulders that give this place a unique and fascinating look. Their reflection give the water an ever changing colour around emerald green. This is where the final scene of cult film by Lina Wertmüller, Swept Away (1974), was shot. The overall combination is unique in the world, although other red porphyry cliffs dot the Ogliastra coast, such as is Scoglius Arrubius, two stacks twenty metres tall, symbol of the magnificent Cea beach, a few kilometres to the south.

The porphyry boulders are a great attraction for experienced divers. Open sea faces the “red” little beach. Around the beach you will find all the services you need: plenty of parking space (for campers as well), hotels, cafés, restaurants and nightclubs – local nightlife is particularly animated. Behind the Red Rocks lies stupendous Cala Moresca, named after the Saracen pirates (is morus) who pillaged the coast in the 8^th century. The beach has a clear flatbed, granite rocks, golden sand and lush vegetation around the cove. Only a few kilometres away, other unmissable beaches: Lido di Orrì, sixteen kilometres of coast made up of little coves and deserted beaches, including splendid Cala Ginepro, beautiful San Gemiliano, and the previously mentioned tropical paradise that is Cea, more than one kilometre long, part of the territories of Tortoli and Barisardo.

Arbatax, a tourist and commercial port on the eastern coast, probably owes its name to the Arabic word meaning “fourteen”, referring to the fourteenth lookout tower that stands nearby. The place is the unusual and unique scenario of a fascinating and traditional yearly event, the Rocce Rosse Blues festival, a display for internationally famous musicians.