Porto Torres
The territory, the coast and the sea
Despite the great industrial petrol works, and the crisis of the 1980s, the beaches along the eastern coastline have retained all their beauty: starting from the Christopher Columbus beach, and heading towards Platamona, we reach the beaches of Scoglio Lungo and Balai - a beautiful sandy and rocky bay protected by the small country church of San Gavino.
Just a short distance away, as we continue along the panoramic coast, we reach Balai Lontano, where we can take a break near to the second small church. Tradition has it that the two buildings mark the place where the three saints (Gavino, Proto and Gianuario), were martyred.
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Tradition and religion
The procession of the saints’ images on the 3rd May, which reawakens the idea of the traslatio, and heads from the Basilica of San Gavino to the small church of Balai Vicino, is well worth seeing. The images then remain at the little church until Pentecost, when they are taken back to the Basilica.
Many other initiatives accompany the event, and in particular, the main street ‘Corso Vittorio Emanuele’, which opens up from the port and the dominating XIV century Aragonese Tower, comes alive with a large, characteristic market, that reaches the heart of the town. This market brings together stall holders from the whole province. Here, the tourist searching for a good bargain will easily find all types of articles, that vary from local craftsmanship to tasting of traditional food products.
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North Sardinia 
