Sardinia was long regarded as a remote and wild island, inhabited by shepherds and a shy people, who had little to do with the Italian mainland. Once a melting pot of diverse European and North African cultures, Sardinia still bears witness to its colourful past with echoes of the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Spanish and Tuscans being clearly apparent in its traditions, language and architecture today. The coastline is startling with its coves, long sandy beaches, inlets, rocky outcrops and clear, turquoise sea. Inland the macchia grassland with myrtle, thyme, prickly pears and dwarf oaks stretches towards the wild peaks of the Gennargentu mountains. Sardinia offers a delightful mixture for your holiday, combining the sophistication of the resorts and hotels of the Costa Smeralda and its stunning beaches with the remote, rural hinterland, where shepherds still tend their sheep in the mountains and traditional costume is worn with pride. Sardinia is a fascinating holiday island.
Local highlights
Cultural Highlights
Visit the church of Santissima Trinita di Saccargia near Sassari for its 13th Century frescoes. The Catalan-Gothic 16th Century Cathedral on Alghero. Nuoro has been the home of some of Sardinia`s most important literary figures including Grazia Deledda who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1926. The Museo Nazionale Archeologico in Cagliari houses bronze votive statuettes of the nuraghic people.
Festivals
Cavalcata Sarda festival in Sassari on Ascension Day. Sagra del Redentore festival in Nuoro illustrates traditional dancing and dialects of the region. Feast of the Mamuthones in Mamoiada includes a ritual dance full of the fierce folkoric tradition of the Gennargentu mountains.
Gastronomy
The gastronomy of Sardinia is based very much on produce from the land, especially milk products and meat. Ewe's milk produces Sardinian pecorino cheese, used to flavour many regional dishes. Meat is often cooked over hot embers or roasted on a spit. Specialities include 'Prosciutto di cinghiale' (wild boar ham) and 'Succutundu' (strong meat stock with semolina balls). Roast lamb with rosemary and thyme features regularly on menus. Nougat is a local speciality. Sardinia produces its own red and white wines, with Nuragus and Vernaccia being the best known.
Getting out and about
Visit Sassari on the west coast of the island, a town with a mediaeval quarter, cathedral and Renaissance Fonte Rosello. Alghero has a very Spanish feel and from here you can take a boat trip to the Grotta di Nettuno, a spectacular, deep, natural cave. Tour the interior of the island, dotted with about 7,000 nuraghe, truncated stone structures built from basalt blocks. In the centre of the island are the dramatic Gennargentu mountains, whose highest point is Punta la Marmora at just over 6,000 ft (local traditions are keenly preserved in this region). To the north of the Costa Smeralda is the Maddalena Archipelago, of about 14 rocky islands and islets, beautifully scenic and with a rugged coastline. The Costa Smeralda itself consists of pink granite headlands, sandy creeks and bays with wooded hills and mountain ridges behind.
Travel arrangements
How you get there
By Air: Airport at Cagliari with direct flights with British Airways and from the 'No-frills' carriers or charter airlines. Airport at Olbia with flights from the 'No-frills' carriers or charter airlines. If staying at the Cala di Volpe, the Pitrizza or the Romazzino you may want us to look at a private jet for your party.
Hire Caq: We include a hirecar with our holidays to Sardinia and a private car transfer with our holidays to the Forte Village, although private transfers can be organised for you for all holidays instead of the hire-car.