Red rock formations, sunset sky, Sardinia

Sardinian seaside

Most of Cea Beach is a long, wide stretch of soft white Sardinian sand, but one area stands out, both figuratively and literally. Stretching into the Mediterranean Sea is a line of furrowed and saw-toothed red rocks that are irresistible to beachgoers, photographers, and geologists in equal measure. The rocks here are porphyry, a kind of coarse-grained granite typically found in a purple or reddish hue. It's also relatively easy for the forces of nature to mark and score, so any group of these stacks near the surf usually end up looking like a collection of Neptune's amateur sculptures.