Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (Sicily being the largest), between Italy, Spain and Tunisia, south of Corsica. It forms part of Italy.
A little under 120 miles from the Italian mainland, slightly more than that from the North African coast at Tunisia, Sardinia is way off most tourist itineraries of Italy; D.H. Lawrence found it exotically different when he passed through here in 1921 - "lost", as he put it, "between Europe and Africa and belonging to nowhere."
Your reasons for coming will probably be a combination of plain curiosity and a yearning for clean beaches.
The island is relatively free of large cities or heavy industry, and its beaches are indeed some of the cleanest in Italy and are on the whole un-crowded, except perhaps for peak season, when ferries bring in a steady stream of sun-worshippers from what the islanders call ‘il continente’, or mainland Italy.
But Sardinia offers plenty besides sun and sea - the more so if you are prepared to penetrate into its lesser-known interior.
By Bus/Rail: Once on the island, you can rely on a good network of public transport covering all but the remoter areas. There is the island-wide bus service run by ARST and the private PANI for longer hauls between towns, while trains connect the major towns of Cágliari, Sássari and Olbia, with smaller narrow-gauge lines linking with Nuoro and Alghero.
By Ferry: The Mediterranean’s largest ferry companies run services connecting Sardinia with the main ports in Italy, France and Corsica
By Air: Sardinia is well served by some of Europe’s biggest airlines including Ryanair EasyJet, Hapag-Lloyd, British Airways, Alitalia and Meridiana.
On the whole, Sardinia's smaller centre is the most attractive, but the capital, Cágliari - for many the arrival point - shouldn't be written off. With good accommodation and restaurants, it makes a useful base for exploring the southern third of the island. The other main ferry port is Olbia in the north, little more than a transit town but well geared for accommodation and conveniently close to the jagged northern coast. The Costa Smeralda, a few kilometres distant, is Sardinia's best-known resort area and lives up to its reputation for opulence. The prices may preclude anything more than a brief visit, although there are campsites for those outside the ranks of the super-rich. Both Olbia and Cágliari have airports, as does Sardinia's main package destination of Alghero - a fishing port in the northwest of the island that has been known to British holiday-makers for years, yet retains a friendly, unspoiled air. But Alghero's main attraction is its Spanish ambience, a legacy of long years in which the town was a Catalan colony, giving it a wholly different feel from the rest of the island. Inland, Nuoro has impressive literary credentials and a good ethnographical museum. As the biggest town in Sardinia's interior, it also makes a useful stopover for visiting some of the remoter mountain areas, in particular the Gennargentu range, covering the heart of the island. This is where you can find what remains of the island's traditional culture, best embodied in the numerous village festivals.
Main Attractions
Sardinia’s Beaches
The Costa Smeralda, in northeast Sardinia, is the best-known upmarket beach area, while on the northwest coast is the popular package tourist town of Alghero.
Cágliari has the popular 6 mile white sand stretch of Poetto Beach, or try the turquoise sea and fairly unspoilt, laid-back beach of La Pelosa, near Stintino on the north western tip of the island.
The Citadel of Museums (Cágliari)
Sardinia’s history and culture is conveniently packaged in the Citadel of Museums complex in the centre of the capital.
Garibaldi’s House
Famous revolutionary, Giuseppe Garibaldi, lived the last third of his life on the woody, undeveloped island of Caprera, a short ferry-ride from Palau on Sardinia. The elegant homestead has been preserved as he left it. Tours of the property end with his tomb in the garden.
Trenino Verde (Little Green Train)
A fun way to explore Sardinia is aboard the Trenino Verde, a vintage steam locomotive that puffs its way through forests, over bridges and through tunnels into some of the island’s most scenic mountain areas.
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