Hotels in Bosa, Italy. Hotel booking in Bosa from ahotelinitaly.com

In Sardinia's Oristanco province, the town of Bosa has some fascinating history and a significant claim on the present, having been voted 'most beautiful beach in Italy' in 2006. Sardinia may be one of the two largest islands in the Mediterranean, along with Sicily, but its turbulent history (being repeatedly invaded down the centuries) meant the canny Sards tended not to settle by the seaside. Come the 20th century and the explosion in Sardinian tourism and that meant vast swathes of unspoiled Sardinian coastline. Popularity, alas, has tended to change that somewhat, but this central western stretch of Sardinian seaboard remains one of the last remaining expanses of unspoiled, indeed deserted, coastline.

Admiring visitors have described Bosa as 'stranded' but there is nothing forgotten or gloomy about the place. The old town, Sa Costa, has cobbled streets (little more than passageways really) which pick their way through the medieval buildings to the 12th century hilltop castle. The castle in turn, defends Bosa against invasion (or it did) gazing down upon the River Temo. Down the hill there is the current Cathedral and its predecessor, San Pietro, its Gothic edifice added in the Middle Ages by the Cistercian monks who lived here. Bang up to date and we have the modern town of Bosa Marina, 5km downriver of Bosa proper. Hotels, restaurants, a sweet little port and of course that beach, all in the shade of the Isola Rossa and overlooked by the Spanish watchtower.

To the left you'll find a selection of Bosa hotels, just to whet your appetite. See also Bosa hotels (full listings) and our Bosa hotel map.