Mari Mottu/ Mare Morto Bay

Mari Mottu — literally 'dead sea' in Sardinian — is a sheltered bay sitting within the vast Cabras lagoon system, one of the largest coastal wetlands in the Mediterranean. The glassy, calm waters here barely ripple, which is exactly how the place got its name. You're deep in a landscape shaped more by flamingos and mullet fishermen than by tourism, with the ancient Phoenician-Roman site of Tharros just a short drive down the peninsula.