The Costa Smeralda is a coastal area and tourist destination in northern Sardinia

Sardinia

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...

, 55 km long and covering more than 30 km². With white sand beaches, a golf club, private jet and helicopter service, and hotels costing up to US$2,000 - 3,000 per night in the peak season, the area has drawn celebrities, business leaders and other affluent visitors.

The main towns and villages in the area, built according to a detailed urban plan

Urban planning

Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....

, are Arzachena

Arzachena

Arzachena is a town and comune in the province of Olbia-Tempio, Sardinia, Italy. Arzachena is very close to the famous "Costa Smeralda" tourist area, and it is the administrative capital of the "Costa Smeralda" tourist area....

, Porto Cervo

Porto Cervo

Porto Cervo is an Italian seaside resort in northern Sardinia. It is a frazione of the comune of Arzachena, in the province of Olbia-Tempio. The village is the main centre of the Costa Smeralda, on the gulf of the same name. It was created by Prince Karim Aga Khan...

, Liscia di Vacca

Liscia di Vacca

Liscia di Vacca is a bay, located between the harbors of Porto Cervo and Pevero, on the Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Italy.In the local language means "beach of the cows", because is where the shepherds used to bring their flocks to pasture. It is now a well-known residential site, famous for huge...

, Capriccioli and Romazzino. Archaeological

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

 sites include the Li Muri “Tomba dei Giganti” (Giants’ Grave).

Each September the Sardinia Cup sailing

Sailing

Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...

 regatta

Regatta

A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...

 is held off the coast. Polo matches are held between April and October at Gershan near Arzachena. Other attractions include a film festival in Tavolara and a vintage car rally.

The development of the area started in 1961, and was financed by a consortium of companies led by Prince Karim Aga Khan

Aga Khan IV

Prince Karim, Aga Khan IV, NPk, NI, KBE, CC, GCC, GCIH, GCM is the 49th and current Imam of the Shia Imami Nizari Ismaili Muslims. He has held this position under the title of Aga Khan since July 11, 1957, when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan...

. Spiaggia del Principe, one of the beaches along the Costa Smeralda, was named after this Ishmaelite Prince. Architects involved in the project included Busiri-Vici, Jacques Couëlle

Jacques Couëlle

Jacques Couëlle was a French architect, whose work was marked by the movement of architecture, sculpture.- Biography :Jacques Couëlle is a self-taught architect. Uncategorised, he remains on the margins of major movements in architecture and in particular the Modern Movement...

, Savin Couëlle and Vietti.