Vital statistics 

Area: 269,057 sq. km (103,883 sq. miles)
Population: 3.8 million (2003 est.)
Capital: Cagliari
Language: Italian and Sardinian. (Sardinian is an old Romance language with a highly original and, in some cases, extremely archaic vocabulary. It is considered to be the most characteristic of all Romance languages and is linked to Italian and all other Romance languages by the Latin of Roman times.)
Religion: Roman Catholic

The Island belonging to nowhere

Sardinia sits equidistant from Italy and the coast of Tunisia and is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean. Its geographical position prompted D.H. Lawrence to write that the island was “lost between Europe and Africa and belonging to nowhere”.

Phoenicians and Romans, Arabs and Spaniards, Savoyards and Italians have all left their mark on the cultural, artistic and architectural life of the island.

D.H. Lawrence produced Sea and Sardinia during a brief visit in 1921. “Sardinia is not up-and-down at all, but running away into the distance…” he wrote, “this gives a sense of space, which is so lacking in Italy…It is like liberty itself, after the peaky confinement of Sicily”.

Modern travellers who are familiar with Italy will also find striking differences between the island and the mainland, but they will also discover many similarities. Little has changed since Lawrence’s visit – at least, as regards the island’s fundamental character. Sardinia’s individual regions are completely different from one another, and villages which may lie only a few kilometres from each other will often seem worlds apart, so much so that the island can appear to be a miniature continent.

Geography and Wildlife

Sardinia’s diverse array of geological features, natural wonders and indigenous wildlife form a treasure trove of unspoilt beauty. Sardinia’s detached location in the middle of the Mediterranean has presented something of a natural barrier to cross-pollination. The land and climate help to provide the ideal habitat for species indigenous to Sardinia, some parts of neighbouring island Corsica and certain regions of north Africa.

Folklore and Festivals

Sardinians are especially proud of their folk roots and festivals, These are celebrated and preserved island-wide by all generations. At the end of the 18th century, Sardinia was known as an India de por acá, an “India in the midst of the Western World”. Nowadays, Sardinia’s great folkloric traditions are virtually restricted to the most religious sagre (folk festivals) such as the processions of the Redentore (Saviour) in Nuoro in August, the Candelieri (Festival of Candles) in Sassari in August and the Sant’Efisio (the biggest festival on the entire island) held in Cagliari each May), or the principal feudal tournaments such as the Sartiglia which takes place every spring in Oristano.

Food and Drink

Eating and drinking in Sardinia is a treat. The food is simple, good value and gutsy, while the wines are some of the best produced in Italy. It is the cooking of shepherds and farmers who have never been rich but have made their simple dishes tastier by the use of aromatic herbs offered by the earth.

The native cuisine of the island has also been influenced by other Mediterranean cultures such as the Arabs. For example, in the isle of San Pietro a popular dish is cas-cas which is the same as the North African and Arab couscous. Another is the couscous-like dish, fregula, which originated in ancient Rome and is a fusion of these three cultures.

There is a wide variety of local wines: most have a high alcohol content and are full-bodied, smooth, and deeply coloured. The best know bear the description Cannonau. Wines bottled in the cooperative cellars bear the DOC, a label guaranteeing quality: this certificate of authenticity is only awarded to wines from specific wine-growing areas.

Places

Alghero to Oristano

The western coast of Sardinia has beaches, nature reserves, caves hiking trails, splendid towns, Romanesque  architecture and Roman remains to explore.

Strongly influenced by Spanish culture, Alghero has the most Spanish feel of any Sardinian town. The Old Town of Algerho covers barely one-tenth of today’s total city. The Old Town itself is best entered through the Porta a Mare, the Sea Gate, on the north site. Another entrance is the Porta a Terra, the original main entrance to town. The door still bears the stone coat of arms of the crown of Aragon and used to be closed at dusk.

For the traveller wishing to get to know the northwest of the island, there is no better starting point than Alghero, with its excellent tourist infrastructure. 

Costa Smeralda

The elite Costa Smeralda, the Aga Khan’s playground for the beautiful and wealthy, makes up for what it lacks in atmosphere with undiluted luxury.

Gallura and the North

This itinerary takes in Gallura’s dramatic coastline, the islands of Maddalena, the town of Stintino and then travels through the interior of the region.