Luxury Car Rental in Chia

Chia has no piazzetta — and that is precisely its strength. Down here, southern Sardinia presents itself as nature almost untouched: tall dunes sculpted by the mistral, junipers bent low by the wind, a Spanish watchtower commanding two bays at once, and villas you can barely make out through the scrub. In these parts, luxury is measured in metres of empty beach in front of your towel and in how quiet the evenings are. A serious car here isn't about being noticed: it's about moving with the same effortless grace as the landscape, because in Chia everything — dinner, the hidden cove, the lookout point — can only be reached by road.

Chia's coastline is not Porto Cervo's Piazzetta: no catwalk, no theatre of glances. Those who choose this shore are after the exact opposite — a convertible to drive along the coast with salt in your hair, a sunset from the headland at Capo Spartivento, a seafood dinner in Teulada with no thought of dress codes. Here the car goes back to being what it should be: the most beautiful way to travel.

Your reference airport is Cagliari Elmas, 52 km away: about a 60-minute drive, almost all of it on the SS195 Sulcitana, which runs south-west past salt pans and lagoons. Collect the keys as you step out of arrivals, or skip the drive altogether and find the car already parked at your villa, hotel or residence in Chia. Paperwork is kept deliberately light — a quick joint inspection, a signature, and the south coast is yours; requirements and conditions are provided at the quotation stage.

Chia is one of 27 destinations we serve across Sardinia, along with 3 airports: on request we can also arrange drop-off at a different point — in Cagliari before your return flight, or in Villasimius if your holiday continues on the opposite coast. The fleet runs to more than 100 models and over 150 versions: simply message our WhatsApp concierge with your dates and delivery point, and we'll build the proposal around your itinerary. Check availability.

I'd set off early, while the SS195 is still empty. First stop below the Torre di Chia: a ten-minute walk uphill and the reward is a double panorama, Su Giudeu on one side and the bay of ancient Bithia on the other. Then down to the beach: at Su Giudeu the water stays ankle-deep for dozens of metres, and when the sea allows, you can wade all the way to the islet just offshore. From there, a path through the junipers brings you in fifteen minutes to Cala Cipolla, the most secluded cove of all: pines running right down to the sand, with the Capo Spartivento lighthouse framing the horizon.

The afternoon belongs to a road that justifies the trip on its own: the SP71 from Chia to Teulada, a ribbon of corners draped above the sea and one of the most beautiful coastal drives in Italy. Take it unhurried: every bend opens a new view, from the fjord-like inlet of Capo Malfatano to the turquoise water of Tuerredda, the natural place to stop for a swim at the halfway mark. It's the crowning stretch of the route we map out in our guide to southern Sardinia by grand tourer: Cagliari, Chia and Villasimius in one long, unbroken curve along the sea.

On this coast, the natural answer is an open top. The Ferrari Portofino M turns the SP71 into an amphitheatre: roof down, V8 as the soundtrack, the scent of juniper and helichrysum drifting into the cabin at every corner. If you'd rather have something more usable day to day, the Porsche 911 Carrera is the ideal companion: compact through the hairpins, tireless on the longer runs, and just as happy roof-up on the days the mistral blows.

Travelling with family, beach towels, boards and cool bags changes the equation: the car parks closest to the coves are often unpaved and dusty, and a Range Rover shrugs them off, with room for everyone and a cabin as calm as a drawing room. And if only Maranello will do, Ferrari rental in Chia books up quickly once the season starts: villa delivery on the dunes is the request our concierge hears most in July.