Sardinia · Sassari
Stintino
The northernmost tip of north-west Sardinia and the gateway to Asinara National Park, fronted by a shallow-shelf beach under an Aragonese watchtower.
Picked by Peter Benei
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 3 h 28 min from Cagliari
- Population
- 1,537
- J14°
- F14°
- M14°
- A15°
- M19°
- J23°
- J25°
- A26°
- S24°
- O22°
- N18°
- D15°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 26° and coldest in February at 15°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Going to the sea? How to find the free beaches in Italy.
Why come
Stintino occupies a thin headland at the north-western edge of Sardinia, facing the narrow Fornelli strait and the island beyond it. The village itself did not exist before 1885, when the Italian state expropriated the population living on that island to build a prison and agricultural penal colony there. The displaced families resettled on this side of the strait, and the fishing community they founded kept the name of their old home in altered form: Stintino, from the Sardinian for 'small intestine', a reference to the long narrow port-canal that still splits the village in two.
The island prison closed in 1997 and the land became a national park the year after, now counted among the more strictly protected coastlines in the Mediterranean. Stintino remains its only point of embarkation. The village on this side stays small and largely seasonal: a working harbor, one main street, little more.
What draws people is two kilometers north, where the coast opens into the shallow-shelf beach and its watchtower. The arrangement is telling: a settlement built entirely by displacement, whose only industry now is ferrying visitors to the very island its founders were forced to leave.
How to get there
From Cagliari (CAG), about 3 h 46 min by car.
Coming by train into Sassari? Stintino is about 41 min away by road.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Spiaggia della Pelosa
The dune-backed sweep of shallow water fronting the watchtower islet. Capped at 1,500 visitors a day, booking required online, the shelf stays shallow far out from shore.
Parco Nazionale dell'Asinara
The island lies across the Fornelli strait, reachable only from this harbor. Former prison colony from 1885 to 1997, now left to run wild as a reserve.
Torre della Pelosa
The watchtower on the islet at the end of La Pelosa beach, built to watch for Barbary corsairs and now standing as the beach's silhouette.
Porto di Stintino
The long narrow port-canal that gave the village its name, Sardinian for 'small intestine'. Working fishing fleet plus ferries and excursions to the island.
Asino bianco dell'Asinara
Wild only within the park's boundaries, spotted on guided tours out of the harbor.
Living here
Could you live here?
Stintino is at the end of the road.
- A village of 1,537. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Porto Torres, is 32 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Sassari, a city of 120,510, is 35 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 1,537, down 0.9% since 2015
- Nearest city Sassari, 35 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Sassari, 25 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,850 to €2,600 per m² to buy, €7.70 to €10.80 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 99% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 4, very low hazard
- Alghero airport (AHO), 47 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Cagliari, 3 h 28 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
2% of residents are foreign citizens, against 9% across Italy. 10 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe. There are 393 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 82% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Sassari province ranks 74th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Sassari, 25 km as the crow flies, and it is a major one. It has a children's emergency room too. The nearest IB school is Viterbo International School, 361 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Sardinia International School, 109 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.8% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Sardinia spends about €1,790 a month, €530 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €539 a year for water, on the Sardinia average. In Sassari, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.31, a meal in a pizzeria €15.08 and a man's haircut €19.33.
Climate and risk
2% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 3% in a high or medium one. Under 1% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
LA PELOSA
Caribbean-turquoise shallow-shelf beach under a 1578 watchtower, Sardegna's most-photographed coastline. Ticketed access since 2020.
ASINARA GATEWAY
The only embarkation point for Asinara National Park, a former prison colony turned strict nature reserve.
ALBINO DONKEY
The endemic Asino bianco dell'Asinara, found only on this island and a symbol of the national park.
Common questions
- What is Stintino known for?
- Stintino is the northernmost tip of north-west Sardinia and the gateway to Asinara National Park, fronted by a shallow-shelf beach under an Aragonese watchtower.
- Where is Stintino?
- Stintino is a comune in the province of Sassari, in Sardinia, at 3 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Stintino?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Alghero (AHO), about 47 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Stintino?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 26 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Stintino?
- Parghelia, Dolceacqua and Calasetta.
- How many people live in Stintino?
- 1,537 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Stintino a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Stintino is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Porto Torres, is 32 min away. The nearest city, Sassari, is 35 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Sassari, 25 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 99% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 3 m
- Population: 1,537
- Surface area: 59.04 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Similar
Towns like Stintino
What all six share with Stintino: under 3,000 people · near sea level
The letter
Stintino is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Stintino comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Piombino, 291 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.