Sardinia’s Transformation Over Decades
Sardinia has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past few decades. When I first visited years ago, my Italian brother-in-law shared with me the concept ofOmerta, the Sardinian “Law of Silence.” He explained it as a code where one would claim not to have been present, not to have seen anything, and not to have understood what was happening. This cultural norm reflected the island’s insular and clannish nature.
Historically, mainland Italians viewed Sardinia as mysterious and unfamiliar, often seeing it as the least Italian region of the country. The island was known for its banditry, women wearing black and veils, and a distinct way of life that set it apart from the rest of Italy.
Today, Sardinia is a popular destination, drawing millions of tourists, especially during the summer months. Its beach resorts, such as the famous Costa Smeralda, are among the most celebrated and upscale in the Mediterranean. The beaches boast powdery white sands and crystal-clear waters in shades of aquamarine and sea green.
While many come for the beaches, others are drawn to the island’s breathtaking landscapes. A 10-day driving trip around the island reveals stunning panoramas, from towering cliffs and spectacular coastlines to a 500-foot-tall sea stack. Sardinia offers more than just sun and sand; it is one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean.
Cagliari: A Sunny Capital
Sunny Cagliari, the capital city, features a cheerful architectural palette of earthy yellows, oranges, and browns. It is an easily walkable and inviting introduction to Sardinia. The historic heart of the city, the Castello district, is a high promontory enclosed in stone bastions. It includes cobbled medieval lanes, towers, churches, squares, and museums, along with a Roman amphitheater.
The sprawling terrace of the Bastione Saint Remy offers a panoramic view of the city, gulf, and distant mountains. Below Castello, the Marina district is a maze of stone lanes and alleys filled with shops, boutiques, and eateries. In the evenings, the district comes alive with both tourists and locals enjoying innovative modern spots like Sa Sascharonada and established institutions like Antica Cagliari.
San Pietro: A Summer Playground
A short ferry ride brings visitors to the vacation island of San Pietro and the easygoing town of Calaforte. Warm, radiant colors paint the four-story houses with wrought-iron balconies that line the grid of streets leading to quaint squares, ancient churches, hotels, and restaurants. Surrounded by beautiful beaches, Calaforte and San Pietro are a lively sea and sand playground in summer.
At the northern tip of San Pietro, La Punta is a wild, rocky shoreline with tide pools and a jagged coral shelf battered by continuous waves. The area once housed a tuna cannery, which was the island’s main source of livelihood, but now stands as a silent memory.
Sardinia’s Stunning Coastline
As we travel along the coastline, the landscape transitions from beautiful to transcendental. Craggy promontories with verdant fingers of land reach into the water, arc-shaped coves with golden sands, soaring cliffs, lush green countryside, and islets floating in a profound blue sea dotted with translucent greens. The star of the show is Pan di Zucchero, a 436-feet-tall sea stack named after Rio’s Sugarloaf, one of the island’s most imposing natural monuments.
Bouncing down a dirt and gravel track through a narrow canyon, past the remnants of defunct mines, leads to Spiaggia di Piscinas, known as Sardinia’s desert. It is an endless span of sand dunes laced with fragrant Mediterranean scrub brush.
Fascinating Roman Ruins of Tharros
A rocky strip of land extends the Sinis Peninsula out into the Mediterranean, forming a small bay that harbors the ancient archeological site of Tharros. This important Roman city began as a Phoenician settlement in the 8th century BC. The sprawling sea-lapped ruins include temples, thermal baths, aqueducts, and black-basalt streets.
An iconic symbol of Sardinia, Bosa is vividly photogenic. From afar, it appears as a vision that captures the imagination: a meandering river, an ancient stone bridge entrance, medieval walls encircling houses in a rainbow of colors stacked up the steep slope to the edge of the grand hilltop castle.
Spectacular Marine Cave
On windswept Capo Caccia, a tall lighthouse stands sentry at the far point. Swifts, swooping herring gulls, and gliding peregrine falcons ride the air currents. Below the white granite cliffs lies one of Italy’s largest and most spectacular marine caves, Grotto di Nettuno (Neptune’s Grotto). Visiting requires a vertiginous workout: 654 steep steps down and back up, or taking a tour boat from Alghero.
Countless stalagmites plunge from the ceiling in a fantastic array of yellows, oranges, and greens, turning the partially submerged caverns into galleries of natural phantasmagoric sculptures.
La Maddalena’s Walking Street
Multiple ferries sail every hour between Palau and La Maddalena, testifying to the popularity of this touristy island with boutique hotels on secluded beaches. Its long, main walking street is a lifeline of Sardinia, lined with shops selling souvenirs and tchotchkes and offering Sardinian specialties such as porcheddu sandwiches, grilled meats, and unique pasta dishes like culurgiones and malloreddus.
Vacationers fill outdoor cafes, sipping Aperol Spritzes or sampling curated cocktails in sophisticated bars like The Duke.
Castelsardo: A Historical Gem
Castelsardo illustrates the history of the island. In the past, inhabitants lived in the interior to escape the perils of the coast—malaria, pirate raids, and assaults by maritime powers. This changed with foreign occupation, leading to the construction of castles and bastions on high, defensible seaside promontories.
Crowned by a massive castle built in the 1200s by the Genoese, Castelsardo is a captivating sight, particularly fetching at night.
Difficult Hike But Delicious Payoff
A disappointing morning saw all boats to Golfo de Orosei, widely billed as Sardinia’s most beautiful coastline, cancelled due to rough seas. However, there was one exception: Cala Goloritze beach. The twisting mountain road was shrouded in fog as we ascended to the Altoplano del Golgo, a high plateau of pine forests, rock villages, grazing goats, and donkeys.
Negotiating a series of sharp switchbacks down to the trailhead, the difficult hike on a steep and rock-strewn path took over three hours round-trip. The payoff was delicious, revealing an unforgettable vision of turquoise water, fine golden sand, massive boulders, and high black-and-white cliffs.
Sardinia: A Blue Zone
Sardinia is one of the world’s ‘Blue Zones,’ where people tend to live well into their 90s and beyond. Diet, the purity of the food, and low stress are among the possible reasons. The Sard diet includes locally grown produce, highly regarded cheeses, fatty sausages, grilled meats, seafood, indigenous pasta dishes, and signature wines.
Dry, lively Vermentino and crisp, food-friendly Vernaccia are popular white wines, while the ubiquitous red, Cannonau, is believed to contribute to the island’s exceptional longevity. While a brief visit won’t extend your life expectancy, experiencing the joys of Sardinia and enjoying some Cannonau can be a delightful experience.
