Arbatax

Ferries to Arbatax reach middle-eastern Sardinia, docking in the port of the hamlet of the municipality of Tortolì, departing from Civitavecchia (Lazio).

The Civitavecchia - Arbatax maritime line is operated all year round by the shipping company Grimaldi Lines, and it represents the ideal choice for those who want to reach Ogliastra and the territory of the province of Nuoro.

The quay of the port of Arbatax intended for ferries is that of the Levante Pier, not far from the town centre.

While some scholars derive the name Arbatax from the toponym Baccasara, the greatest expert in Sardinian linguistics Max Leopold Wagner claims that it derives from the Arabic arbet eshr, meaning "fourteen" (probably the reference is to the fourteenth watchtower against the Saracens).

Over the centuries, Capo Bellavista and the port have always played a leading role in trade, especially in food and timber. The port area began to expand and modernize from the second half of the nineteenth century. The question was also interested, among others, by the then Minister Cavour.

Towards the end of the Second World War, and to be exact in 1943, the port center of Arbatax was seriously damaged by a bombing by the Allied Forces.

The economic fortunes of the municipality of Tortolì do not rest only on activities such as fishing and seaside tourism. During the year, in fact, numerous events are held in the municipal area that attract the attention of hundreds of people.

We refer, for example, to the film festival "Cal'a cinema", which takes place every summer in the evocative setting of the Genoese cove; the Stella Maris festival, which celebrates the Madonna Stella del Mare, protector of Arbatax and the sea; Is Festas de Sartu: between the third Sunday of August and the second Sunday of September, the locals celebrate the saints after whom the rural churches (San Lussorio, San Gemiliano and San Salvatore) are named.

Last but not least, it is also necessary to include "Arbatax seaside village": the event, organized by two local associations, was born with the aim of enhancing the close link with Ponza.

The port is among the locations of the film "Swept away by an unusual fate in the blue sea of ​​August" by Lina Wertmüller (1974).

As well as other places in Sardinia, Tortolì and Arbatax also boast food and wine excellences: in addition to the impressive quantity and quality of the fish, in fact, on the table we find the delicious culurgiones (stuffed pasta closed in the ear) and the famous Sardinian pig (porceddu in the dialect). Finally, Cannonau DOC deserves a special mention: produced in Tortolì and its surroundings, it is the Sardinian wine par excellence.