Birth of a Vision: The Day Costa Smeralda Was Signed Into History

It all began with a notary’s desk in Olbia, a handful of dreamers, and a bay no one wanted.

March 14, 1962. In a quiet office on Corso Umberto in Olbia, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, along with Patrick Guinness, Felix Bigio, André Ardoin, John Duncan Miller and René Podbielski, sat around a cluttered table before notary Mario Altea. Papers stacked high, detailing the sale of 1,800 hectares of wild, untouched Gallura.

That day, the Consorzio Costa Smeralda was born — and with it, one of the world’s most iconic destinations.

But the story had started earlier, in 1958, almost by accident. British banker John Duncan Miller, vice-president of the World Bank, had sailed past Cala di Volpe and was struck by its surreal beauty. Curious, he invited two local boys — Giovanni Azara and Giovan Michele Linaldeddu — aboard to ask who owned the land. That moment sparked a chain of events that reached the ears of the newly appointed Imam of the Ismaili Muslims: Karim Aga Khan IV.

At first, the prince regretted investing. A winter trip revealed mule tracks, grey skies, and a total lack of infrastructure. But in 1959, on a spontaneous yacht trip from the French Riviera, he saw it anew — the sea glittering like emeralds, the granite shimmering in the sun.

And so, the plan was revived.

The name Costa Smeralda came from Luigi Vietti, inspired by the luminous greens of the sea. Roads were built, water lines laid, and a revolutionary vision of sustainable luxury took form — guided by principles still relevant today: respect for nature, discretion, elegance, identity.

What was once land no one wanted became a sanctuary for the world’s elite — and more importantly, a model for how tourism could be done with soul.