Ziu Martine

Three kilometres south of Cala Gonone along Viale Bue Marino, Ziu Martine compresses wild coastline into a 300-metre cove: white limestone cliffs above dark basalt, light sand laced with black pebbles, and water clear enough that divers and climbers share the same rock faces.

Why it matters

Ziu Martine’s geology brings together contrasting materials. White limestone cliffs frame the cove and meet dark basaltic rock at its edges; on the shore, light sand is mixed with smoothed black pebbles; and the emerald water over a transparent pebbly bed carries the two tones down into the sea. The cove lies near Cala Gonone in the Comune di Dorgali, near the centre of the Gulf of Orosei, within the Golfo di Orosei e Gennargentu National Park.

What to notice

The cove runs roughly three hundred metres, with rocky outcrops occupying about half of its shore. Cavities in the rock shelter marine life, and the cove is used for diving, snorkelling, sport fishing and kayaking. The rock face shelters the cove from the maestrale and westerly winds and is also used by free-climbers. Mediterranean scrub of juniper, myrtle and lentisk grows along the path to the shore.

Context and history

Ziu Martine lies on Viale Bue Marino, just before Cala Fuili, along a coast of coves and sea caves that includes Cala Luna, Cala Biriola, Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritzé. Sea caves punctuate the nearby coast, while the cove’s undeveloped shoreline lies within the national park.