We had one more day in Cala Gonone and decided it best to check out the hoopla of the most famously beautiful beach in the Med, Cala Luna. Actually, it’s the three or so mile hike out there that rivals the beauty of the beach. (During the high season most people take a water taxi or hire a boat.) Winding through the thick brush and oak forest, the trail rewards with stunning vistas of the sea. Then you come down the trail onto the beach only to see German climbers plying their craft on the overhanging mouths of caves. It’s sight filled with both angst and beauty.

After a chilly swim comparable to the summer water temps of Northern California, we walk out to Scoglio di Luna, a 200-foot crag south of the beach. Here we find peace, quiet, and abundant shade. Running up the two-pitch Vamos a la Playa (6a) while looking forlornly at the sunny sand, we realize it’s time to take the route’s Spanish name (let’s go to the beach) to heart. But by the time we rap down a fog bank has destroyed all notions of existing on the picture-perfect side of a postcard. Such is the winter weather of Sardegna.

Walking out, we pass a seasonal bar and restaurant. Paddleboats and rental kayaks lay overturned in the weeds. In a few weeks this place will teem with tourists. It’s been known to be so crowded that you have to wait in line for climbs and a spot on the coveted sand takes more than a territorial towel to reserve. We will be leaving in the nick of time. Heading inland for the long multi-pitches of the Supramonte in the backcountry of Sardegna.