Updated: November 2026 · The AffittaSardegna team, Porto Torres
Beyond the beaches, from Stintino you can quickly reach the mining village of Argentiera (part of the Geomining Park of Sardinia, with an open-air museum since 2019), the MUT – Tonnara Museum in town, the 1557 Torre di Capo Falcone and the Stagno di Pilo for birdwatching.
Holiday homes in Stintino, the base for Argentiera and Capo Falcone
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Almost everyone who chooses Stintino does so for the sea. Then comes a day of mistral wind, or an afternoon when your skin needs a break, and the question becomes: “What shall we do today?”. Having managed homes here since 2011, we've learned that the best holidays are the ones that mix beach and discovery. Here are the places we recommend to our guests, with realistic distances and a few practical warnings.
A hamlet of Sassari halfway between Stintino and Alghero, Argentiera is one of the most evocative places in the Nurra. Lead and silver-bearing zinc were mined here, known since ancient times; official mining began in 1867 and lasted about a century, until closure in the 1960s. Today the mine buildings, the miners' houses and a striking silence remain.
Argentiera is part of the Historical and Environmental Geomining Park of Sardinia. Its symbol is the large pitch-pine wooden ore-washing plant from 1936, where for decades women and boys separated the ore from the waste by hand: now restored, it hosts an exhibition with historic photos, lamps and tools.
Since 2019 the village has also been Open MAR – Miniera Argentiera, the first open-air mining museum in Sardinia: paste-up artworks on the walls that come to life in augmented reality when you frame them with your smartphone through an app. Download the app before you go: the signal isn't always great.
A treat for film buffs: the opening scenes of the film “Boom!” (1968), with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, were shot here.
The cove of Argentiera is made up of two small semicircular beaches divided by a rock: amber sand, almost grey from the mineral dust, shallow water near the shore and rocky shelves further out, great for snorkelling. There's a snack bar, rentals and a large car park.
About two kilometres further south lies Porto Palmas, a crescent of pale sand mixed with small white pebbles between two cliffs, well sheltered from the mistral and rarely crowded. You reach it from the Palmadula area. It's a great plan B on days when the wind spoils the sea elsewhere.
Distance from Stintino: allow about 45 minutes to an hour by car across the Nurra. It's best to set off in the morning, visit the village while it's cool and finish with a swim in the afternoon.
Stintino was born as a village of fishermen and tuna fishers, and that's exactly the story the MUT tells. The museum, opened in 2016, is on Via Lepanto, on the scenic road into town, overlooking the harbour: it occupies the former ALPI fish plant, now restored.
The visit is multimedia: narrated videos (in Italian with English subtitles), period photos, fishing gear, work clothes, models of boats and of the tonnara, paintings by Sardinian artists. It's the perfect visit for a late afternoon or a windy day, and teenagers like it too.
Hours: change a lot with the season (in high summer it usually opens in the evening). Check up-to-date days and times before you go.
While you're in town, take a stroll between Porto Vecchio and Porto Minori: in 2023 Stintino was declared a “Lateen Sail Harbour-Museum”, marking forty years of its historic Lateen Sail Regatta. If you'd like to see it, check the town council's events calendar: the dates change from year to year.
Capo Falcone is the very tip of the Stintino peninsula. At the top stands the Torre del Falcone, built in 1557 as a defence against pirate raids, and considered the highest tower in the Nurra (about 200 metres above the sea).
From up there the view is one of the finest in North Sardinia: ahead lie Isola Piana and Asinara, to the south your gaze reaches Capo Caccia and Argentiera. You can clearly see the difference between the two seas: to the west cliffs and open sea, to the east the shallow turquoise water of La Pelosa. Peregrine falcons nest in the rock faces and the rare Eleonora's falcon also passes through.
How to get there: about 5 km from Stintino towards La Pelosa, then a turn-off to the right after a stretch of bends. A path suitable for hiking and mountain biking climbs to the tower. Go at sunset, bring water and walking shoes; with a strong mistral the wind at the top is really intense.
Behind the easternmost stretch of Ezzi Mannu beach, already in the municipality of Sassari towards Fiume Santo, lies the Stagno di Pilo: a lagoon separated from the sea by sand dunes and surrounded by reed beds. Together with the Casaraccio lagoon and the Stintino salt pans it forms an Important Bird Area (IBA) recognised by BirdLife International, and part of it is a nature reserve.
It is above all awintering area for waterbirds, including the flamingo: the best times to see them are therefore autumn, winter and early spring. In summer you can still come across a few flamingos, in the Pilo and Saline lagoons.
Tips: binoculars, early morning or late afternoon, a low voice and keep your distance from the birds. Don't leave the paths and respect the parking rules in the area (see below).
The west coast, the Mar di Fuori, is a paradise for walkers: paths through scrub and cliffs, coves such as Coscia di Donna, views of Asinara. On hiking apps you'll find loop routes of 7–9 km linking the east and west sides of the peninsula, easy or moderate in difficulty.
Three rules we always give our guests:
For longer routes between Stintino and Argentiera, go with a licensed hiking guide: the paths are not always marked and the land is often private or rough.
In season, boats leave Stintino harbour for the Asinara National Park: protected sea, little white donkeys, the former prison of Cala d'Oliva. It deserves a whole day. For ferries, excursions and park rules, read our guide to Asinara.
To choose the right beach each day, also read the beaches of Stintino beyond La Pelosa.
A home in Stintino puts you a few minutes from Capo Falcone, the MUT and both seas, and less than an hour from Argentiera. We manage homes directly across the whole municipality: by booking on our website you save up to 15% and you speak with people who really know the area. Discover the holiday homes in Stintino.
Is Argentiera a UNESCO site?
No, it isn't a World Heritage Site. It is part of the Historical and Environmental Geomining Park of Sardinia, which was once included in the UNESCO Geoparks network and later left it.
How far is Argentiera from Stintino?
Allow about 45 minutes to an hour by car. It's halfway between Stintino and Alghero, in the Nurra, in the territory of Sassari.
What is Open MAR?
It's Argentiera's open-air mining museum, opened in 2019: artworks on the buildings that come to life in augmented reality with a smartphone app, plus the exhibition in the ore-washing plant.
When can you see the flamingos at Stagno di Pilo?
Mainly from autumn to early spring, because the lagoon is a wintering area for waterbirds. In summer they may be there, but it isn't guaranteed.
How do you get to the Torre di Capo Falcone?
From Stintino, drive about 5 km towards La Pelosa and turn right after the bends; a path for walkers and mountain bikes climbs to the 1557 tower.
Can you visit Stintino without a car?
The town and La Pelosa yes, with seasonal connections to be checked year by year. For Argentiera, Capo Falcone and Stagno di Pilo a car is almost essential.
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