One heart and two souls, this is the town of San Teodoro, resting on the robust Gallura granite and protruding towards the white limestones of the Barony. During the summer, the center is full of people who come from the capital and the rest of the province of Nuoro.
The methods of occupation of the territory of San Teodoro were the same as those of the vast majority of the centers of Gallura, born from the aggregation of the stazzi, the typical pastoral houses. Until 1970 the country still maintained an economy exclusively linked to land and fishing, but the boom of the Costa Smeralda and Porto Rotondo had given rise to an unstoppable shock wave.
Invested by this sudden demand from the tourist market, the enterprising inhabitants of the place rolled up their sleeves and gave way to the new version of San Teodoro, building a town on a stazzo size, with low houses and a tiled roof with tiles, avoiding colors excessively gaudy and covering them where possible with stones that bring back to the surrounding landscape.
Arriving from Olbia, which is about 28 km away, San Teodoro is heralded by its fantastic pond, inhabited by a large number of flamingos. Turning immediately to the left and crossing the bridge that crosses a small stream, you will soon arrive in the center of the village, which has developed around the parish church of San Teodoro, overlooking Piazza Gallura.
San Teodoro’s night life
During the hot summer nights, Piazza Gallura explodes with life, with music, stalls and excellent cocktail bars; during the daytime, the square continues to be crowded thanks to its craft shops, souvenir shops and the presence of the Pro Loco.
At the edge of the town there is the beach of Cala D’Ambra , a beach easily accessible from the avenue of the same name. Through the Via del Tirreno you reach the southern limit of La Cinta beach . At the southern limit of the beach, in the Niuloni locality, the Museum of the Civilization of the Sea has been opened, inside which an interesting aquarium has been set up, consisting of eight tanks.
San Teodoro seaside
To the south of the village, on the road to the ancient hamlets of Ottiolu and Agrustos , is the Isuledda beach . The entrance is well signposted, after which you have to travel a couple of kilometers of unpaved road until you get near a recent agglomeration. At this point several paths wind through the vegetation.
It is a beach of incomparable beauty, inserted inside a small inlet with clear and shallow waters. Monte Nieddu rises to the south west of the village, reachable by the junction on the right on the route S.S. 125 which leads to Terra Padedda, passing under the Nuoro – Olbia highway. The intense circulation of water on the granite rocks of the relief has created infinite sculptures, which rise from the vegetation in their bizarre forms, to grant a truly unique spectacle.
The beaches north of San Teodoro
The fantastic beaches of San Teodoro start from Capo Coda Cavallo , the stretch of land protracted towards the island of Molara. Arriving from Olbia along the route S.S.125 (the Sardinian east), you pass through the hamlet of Vaccileddi, in the center of which is the junction for Cala Girgolu on the left. Just before reaching the end of the dead end, on the left, there is the beautiful Cala Girgolu.
It is a small beach, famous above all for the presence of the “turtle rock”. To reach the beautiful granite rock, sculpted by nature, you have to face a demanding walk along the coast to the right of the cove (20 minutes). In 1993 the rock was defaced by a little respectful tourist, who beheaded it before the incredulous eyes of the other bathers. The rock was restored, but again defaced by unknowns in 1997.
Walk to the turtle rock
The walk to the natural monument is however of considerable charm, in its vicinity there are also small and welcoming beaches, facing the enchanting islands of Tavolara and Molara. Continuing towards San Teodoro, after passing the hamlet of Monte Petrosu, on the left is the sign indicating Capo Coda Cavallo, the point of the closest island to Molara, where the Punta Est Village is located, at the foot of which stands a beach not beautiful but with exceptionally green water. The area is an integral part of the Marine Park of Tavolara and Capo Coda Cavallo, which falls within the municipalities of Olbia, Loiri Porto San Paolo and San Teodoro. The limits of the protected area are Capo Ceraso in the north and Isuledda in the south. Its symbol is undoubtedly the island of Tavolara, made up of white limestone rock that stands out among the Gallura granite.
At the beginning of the road to Capo Coda Cavallo, a couple of kilometers from the main road, there is the famous Cala Brandinchi beach, an exceptional inlet, with shallow waters and crystal clear water, with a beach of fine sand often collected in white dunes. Returning to the tortuous ss. 125, continue for a few kilometers towards the south until you arrive near the hamlet of Lu Fraili, where the entrance to the village of Puntaldia is located (left) , famous for the golf course born inside it. The road leads to Porto Brandinchi, which has nothing to do with the Cala of the same name, where the immense Lu Impostu beach stands.
On the right of Lu Fraili there is a dirt road that leads to Punta Altora (340 m), an excellent diversion to the beaches. Continuing further, always towards San Teodoro at the height of the hamlet of Suaredda, there is the well-marked entrance to La Cinta beach (see above). Just before entering San Teodoro, near the pond, there is the San Teodoro flight school, where you can experience the thrill of three-axis commuter aircraft and see the magnificent coast of the town from above.
Useful Contacts:
* Tourist Information Office: P.zza Mediterraneo, 1 – San Teodoro Tel. 0784 865767
Fax 0784 865767 www.santeodoroturismo.com
* Protected Marine Area ‘Tavolara Punta Coda Cavallo’: Via Dante – Olbia (OT)
Tel. 0789 203013 www.amptavolara.it
* Police Station: Via Bologna – San Teodoro Tel. 112 Tel. 0784 865722
* Museum of the Sea – Museo delle Civiltà del Mare: Loc. Niuloni – San Teodoro – Tel. 0784 866010
* Camper Service (at water purification plant): c/o Depuratore Comunale, Via Gramsci – Tel. 0784 865391
