Sardinia

Most visitors come to Sardinia for the beaches, which is understandable and also something of a waste. The water along the Costa Smeralda in the northeast is legitimately among the clearest in the Mediterranean, but treating it as a beach holiday destination misses the thing that makes the island genuinely distinctive: it has its own language, its own food culture, and the most concentrated Bronze Age archaeology in Europe. The interior highlands – sheep country, mostly ignored by tourists – contain as much of the real Sardinia as any cove on the east coast.

The Nuraghi

Between roughly 1800 and 500 BCE, the island’s prehistoric inhabitants built approximately 7,000 nuraghi: squat stone towers, often surrounded by village settlements, whose exact function archaeologists still debate. The complex at Su Nuraxi di Barumini near the village of Barumini in the interior is the UNESCO World Heritage site and best-excavated example. Visits are guided tour only (English and Italian), running every 30 minutes from 9am to 8pm in summer. Adult entry is 15 euros, which includes admission to the nearby Casa Zapata and Giovanni Lilliu Centre. Allow 90 minutes.

Other significant nuraghi include Nuraghe Santu Antine near Torralba and the large complex at Arrubiu near Orroli. The Museo Civico Giovanni Marongiu in Cabras holds the Giants of Mont’e Prama – a series of stone warrior statues from around 900 BCE rediscovered in the 1970s, among the most remarkable ancient sculptures found in the Mediterranean world.

The Coast

The Costa Smeralda, developed from the 1960s for a high-end clientele, has Porto Cervo at its centre: marinas full of large yachts, luxury hotels, and prices that reflect both. The beaches (Liscia Ruja, Capriccioli, La Celvia) are genuinely exceptional. The tone is set by people who arrive by yacht rather than by bus.

The east coast around Cala Gonone and the Golfo di Orosei is less developed and in most ways more interesting. The sea caves of Bue Marino are accessible only by boat from Cala Gonone harbour, with day trips running from around 30 euros per person. The gorge of Gorropu, reachable on foot from the road above Dorgali, is reportedly the deepest canyon in Europe – a 4 to 5 hour round-trip hike on rough terrain worth making if the weather is clear.

The west coast near Oristano has Is Arutas beach, composed of quartz grains rather than sand, and the lagoon landscape around the Sinis Peninsula with flamingos and Phoenician-Roman ruins at Tharros.

Food

Sardinian cuisine is pastoral rather than maritime. The central highlands are sheep country and the food reflects it. Pecorino Sardo ranges from fresh and mild to aged and sharp; the aged version grated over pasta or eaten with pane carasau (the crispy flatbread, also sold as music paper) is the baseline local meal. Culurgiones are the island’s pasta: ravioli-shaped parcels filled with potato, pecorino, and mint, sealed in a distinctive braid pattern. Porceddu is whole roasted suckling pig cooked slowly over myrtle wood, typically the centrepiece of village celebrations and agriturismo lunches.

Cannonau, the main local red wine, is made from a grape variety possibly related to Grenache and tends toward high alcohol and a dry, slightly earthy character. Vermentino di Sardegna is the main white and significantly lighter. Both are better value than anything on tourist menus; buy them at a local enoteca instead.

Getting Around

A hire car is not optional; public transport between towns runs infrequently on many routes. The road network is reasonable in the north and around Cagliari; interior mountain roads can be narrow and winding. Driving in August requires patience around the popular beach approaches.

Olbia Costa Smeralda airport in the northeast and Cagliari Elmas airport in the south both have strong connections from Italian and European cities.