The mainly mountainous hinterland has a very particular look: it is cut across by deep valleys called 'codule', which end in the sea where they form an unusual coast, characterized by irregular calcareous walls and inaccessible tiny beaches. Some of these are so beautiful that they have been chosen as locations of films and of photographic sessions: precious Mediterranean pearls, cala Luna is a stretch of superfine white sand, crystal-clear water and very high sheer rockfaces, while cala Mariolu reminds of an unexplored tropical paradise due to its tiny white pebbles. A unique shore, as many famous naturalists have stated: the harshness of the rocks combined with the shades of blue and green of the sea gives to the ensemble a wild, primitive, uncontaminated atmosphere.
A natural feature of Baunei is the famous monolith 'Pedra Longa' (high stone), a pointed pinnacle rising out of the sea, large at the base and thin at the top, which is the final part of the calcareous plateau of Baunei. Further on, the hamlet of S. Maria Navarrese is springing up due to the recent accomplishment of a marina that is attracting more and more new vacationers. According to a folk tale, a princess coming from the kingdom of Navarra found shelter from a shipwreck in this small village; as her thank-you, she had a church built, the small medieval church of S. Maria, in whose garden an ancient oleaster stands showing a huge foliage.
In front of the village the isolotto of Ogliastra rises with its colonies of birds, the only inhabitant, which keep watch over archeological finds hidden in the sea. Moreover, the Golgo plateau is also really worth visting: here goats, pigs, horses and the typical Sardinian donkeys with black strips on the back live in a natural state.
Land of shepherds and farmers, Baunei has developed a gastronomic tradition baesd on the fresh products of nature: the meat of goat and of pork roasted on myrtle leaves, the gnocchi made with potatoes ('ur ladeddos') and cakes filled with marzipan, orange peel and honey ('su cunfettu').
USEFUL NUMBERS
Postal office: 0782 610828
Police station: 0782 610825
Pharmacy: 0782 610847
Town hall: 0782 610823
