Michelin Star In Baja Sardinia For Seaside Dining

Published on Dec 1, 2025, 9:30 am CST

7 min read

Key points

Baja Sardinia Michelin star restaurant Capogiro at 7Pines Resort Sardinia has earned its first MICHELIN Star in the MICHELIN Guide Italy 2026
Executive Chef Pasquale D'Ambrosio highlights Sardinian ingredients, small producers, and sustainable techniques in modern Mediterranean tasting menus
7Pines Resort Sardinia offers beachfront suites, rooftop rooms, and sea view villas overlooking the Maddalena marine area near Porto Cervo
The new star is likely to increase demand for both tables at Capogiro and peak season stays on Costa Smeralda, especially from food focused travelers
Travelers should secure reservations for summer 2026, plan transport via Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport, and consider shoulder season dates for better availability

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Expect the tightest competition for tables at Capogiro and rooms at 7Pines during late June through early September on Costa Smeralda
Best Times To Travel: Aim for May, early June, late September, or early October to balance Capogiro availability, beach weather, and room rates
Onward Travel And Changes: Build Capogiro into a wider Sardinia itinerary that links Baja Sardinia with Porto Cervo, La Maddalena boat trips, and inland villages, ideally with a rental car
What Travelers Should Do Now: Confirm 2026 opening dates, reserve Capogiro well ahead of peak weeks, lock in flexible flights to Olbia, and consider packages that bundle the resort with flights and transfers

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Baja Sardinia Michelin star restaurant Capogiro, the fine dining venue at 7Pines Resort Sardinia in Baja Sardinia, has just earned its first MICHELIN Star in the MICHELIN Guide Italy 2026 after the November 20, 2025 ceremony in Parma. The award puts a fresh spotlight on Costa Smeralda for travelers who combine beach holidays with serious dining, and it elevates 7Pines from stylish beach retreat to a fully fledged gastronomic destination. For visitors booking Sardinia through tour operators such as Sardinian Places, or arranging tailor made trips, the star is a clear signal that tables at Capogiro now belong on the same planning checklist as flights, ferries, and car hire.

The new Michelin star for Capogiro makes 7Pines Resort Sardinia one of the most compelling bases on Costa Smeralda for travelers who want a beachfront stay with fine dining on site, rather than commuting to inland destinations for a single flagship meal.

What The New Michelin Star Means For Travelers

Capogiro already appeared in the MICHELIN Guide for its modern Mediterranean cuisine, panoramic terrace, and tasting menus that reinterpret local seafood, grains, and herbs. The jump to a One Star rating confirms that inspectors now see the restaurant as a destination in its own right instead of simply a strong hotel dining room.

For travelers, that shift has two concrete implications. First, demand for peak season tables is likely to rise, especially from guests staying in nearby Porto Cervo or on yachts anchored off the Maddalena islands who can reach Baja Sardinia by tender or car. Second, food focused visitors who previously based themselves in Cagliari or inland wine regions may now treat the north coast as a primary stop, combining Capogiro with other Sardinian restaurants recognized by the Guide.

The star also gives Sardinian Places and similar operators a new story to tell around 7Pines packages, particularly for U.K. travelers who prefer to book flights, transfers, and accommodation as a single protected holiday.

7Pines Resort Sardinia On Costa Smeralda

7Pines Resort Sardinia sits on a private stretch of coastline at Baja Sardinia, in the municipality of Arzachena, where 15 hectares of gardens, paths, and coves run down to white sand beaches and shallow turquoise water. The property is designed as a low rise village rather than a single block, with about 75 rooms and suites spread across clusters that include rooftop rooms, sea view suites, and beach suites that open toward the water.

Location is a key part of the value proposition. The resort overlooks the marine protected area of the Maddalena archipelago, with its granite outcrops and sailing routes, while Porto Cervo is roughly a 10 minute drive away, and Olbia lies about 35 kilometers inland. That makes 7Pines convenient for guests who want both quiet coves and access to Costa Smeralda nightlife, marinas, and designer shopping.

From a planning standpoint, travelers who prioritize dining will appreciate that Capogiro is integrated into the resort's main building on a panoramic terrace, so a multi course tasting menu can be followed by a short walk back to the room instead of a late night drive on coastal roads.

Inside Capogiro, From Produce To Plates

Executive Chef Pasquale D'Ambrosio took over the kitchens at 7Pines Resort Sardinia in 2022 after experience at high end properties elsewhere in Italy. Profiles and the resort's own materials emphasize his focus on sustainable cuisine, built around small local producers, island cheeses, seafood, and seasonal vegetables, with an emphasis on techniques that preserve the original flavor of each ingredient.

According to the MICHELIN Guide entry, Capogiro offers modern Mediterranean cuisine through several tasting menus, plus an à la carte option, with dishes that balance acidity, texture, and temperature in ways inspectors find noteworthy. One signature plate described by the Guide pairs specialty Gragnano fusilloni with black lemon butter and a mussel and spirulina preparation, a combination that underlines how the kitchen uses both classic pasta and contemporary techniques.

For travelers, the key takeaway is that Capogiro is not simply serving a generic "international hotel" menu. The point of view is clearly Sardinian, but the compositions, plating, and menu structure align with what guests would expect from a modern One Star dining room in mainland Italian cities. That makes it easier to justify allocating one full evening of a short beach holiday to a structured, multi course dinner.

Seasonality, Opening Dates, And Reservations

7Pines Resort Sardinia operates seasonally, which means Michelin minded guests need to align travel dates with the resort's opening calendar. Following the star announcement, the team has already signaled plans to welcome guests back with a refreshed menu in April 2026, at the start of the next northern Sardinia season.

In practical terms, travelers should treat Capogiro like any other high demand coastal One Star venue. That usually means booking tables weeks or months in advance for late June, July, and August stays, asking the resort to note dietary restrictions before arrival, and planning around tasting menu length when arranging childcare or early morning boat trips. Shoulder season dates in May, early June, late September, and early October are likely to offer a better combination of availability, calmer beaches, and slightly softer room rates.

Tour operators that feature 7Pines, including Sardinian Places, can be useful intermediaries here, since they often have direct resort contacts and can wrap table requests into the same email chain as room assignments, transfer times, and special occasions.

Getting There And Building An Itinerary Around Capogiro

Most international visitors will arrive via Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport (OLB), then continue by private transfer, taxi, or rental car to Baja Sardinia. Driving times are typically around 35 to 45 minutes depending on traffic and routing. The airport is served by a mix of seasonal and year round flights from major European hubs, so itineraries can be built around both full service carriers and low cost options, with connections via Rome, Milan, or other cities when necessary.

Once on Costa Smeralda, Capogiro can anchor a broader itinerary that includes ferry or private boat excursions to La Maddalena and nearby islands, wine tasting in Gallura, and day trips to less crowded beaches farther south. Travelers who want to sample multiple parts of Sardinia might combine a few nights at 7Pines with time in Alghero or Cagliari, using the star dinner as a highlight at the start or end of the trip.

Background: Sardinia's Place In The Michelin Map

The 2026 edition of the MICHELIN Guide Italy added 22 new One Star restaurants across the country, part of a field of nearly 400 starred addresses, with the new stars distributed across several regions. Sardinia has historically had fewer Michelin distinctions than mainland regions such as Lombardy, Piedmont, or Emilia Romagna, so each new star carries outsized weight for the island's tourism positioning.

Capogiro's promotion signals that high level cuisine on Sardinia is maturing beyond a handful of isolated fine dining rooms into a more robust network that can support multi stop gastronomic itineraries. For travelers, that lowers the opportunity cost of choosing Sardinia over mainland circuits, since it becomes easier to string together several serious restaurant experiences without sacrificing access to beaches, hiking, or historical sites.

As always with Michelin announcements, the practical question is not how many stars a region holds on paper, but how those stars change the logic of travel planning. In this case, the answer is straightforward. If travelers were already curious about Costa Smeralda's beaches and wanted at least one marquee dinner baked into the trip, Capogiro at 7Pines now offers a clear, bookable anchor for 2026 Sardinia plans.