Villa Maddalena

Villa Maddalena is a cluster of stone and red-rendered buildings set in a garden that blooms purple in season. Look past the cactus and the bougainvillea and you'll see a long white beach and water the colour of turquoise glass.

The main living room sits under white-painted beams, with deep white sofas, red rugs and sculptural S-shaped chairs around a long dining table. The kitchen is white and bright, and outside, a stone loggia with wicker sofas and a big dining table is where most meals happen. As a luxury villa rental in Sardinia, it has the relaxed charm of a family summer house.

Villa Maddalena has two bedrooms. They're simple and fresh, with crisp white linen, turquoise and navy accents and terraces or pergola decks with striped loungers. Bathrooms have granite and wooden counters and driftwood mirrors.

Gravel paths and stone steps wander between lawns, olive trees and a rose arch, and a pool is surrounded by banks of flowers. There are shady courtyards with teak tables, a red-walled patio framed by cactus and a covered deck facing the sea. The beaches of this coast are among the most beautiful in Italy. The villa suits families and friends who want an easygoing, garden-filled base close to the water.