The s’Isula Manna beach can be found in Lotzorai, in Ogliastra, part of the extensive shoreline of the Gulf of Arbatax.
This stretch of shoreline is a continuation of the long beach which extends from Santa Maria Navarrese as far as Tancau and can be easily reached from the nearby towns of Girasole and Lotzorai.
The stretch of shoreline between the sea is a pond with ochre-coloured, large grain sand, mixed with shingle.
Behind the beach, we find the stretch of the Tortolì Pond, a wetland of significant natural importance. This area is the natural habitat of a number of bird species and swamp plants and attracts a lot of nature and birdwatching enthusiasts.
The beach is incorrectly known also as Spiaggia di Girasole, given its proximity to the town of the same name. However, the district of Girasole only concerns the pine forest behind the beach.
The characteristic name “Girasole” has very distant origins and makes us think of the ancient city known as Sulcis (meaning “of sun the earth”). The Roman emperor Caracalla and the Greek geographer Tolomeo make specific reference to this place name. In 1300, the name Gerosuli or Gelisoi (and even Girasol according to the researcher Allodio) appeared for the first time.
Nowadays, in local dialect, the town is known as Gelisui and historically represents one of the oldest settlements in Ogliastra, the only one to have been on the same site for more than 3,000 years.
