Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Sardinia has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- At Santa Teresa di Gallura, take a stroll up to the church on Piazza San Vittorio and go through the archway on the left. From there you can feast your eyes upon the stunning Rena Bianca beach and the clear turquoise sea, with Corsica in the distance.
- Arts and culture
- Footprints of other cultures dot Sardinia in the form of ancient archaeological wonders. If you think it all sounds too much like a school trip, go to the Roman amphitheatre in Cagliari or the Phoenician-Punic city of Sulci and see if you’re not impressed.
- Something for nothing
- Around 3,000 years ago, Sardinia was specked with granite watchtowers, and the ruins of many of these startling nuraghi structures remain today, hidden in the Supramonte Mountains. Climb up to explore these little stony igloos, and get amazing views of the Mediterranean below.
- Shopping
- There’s a market every week in most towns: in Santa Teresa it’s every Thursday, with clothes, food and local arts and crafts on offer. Sardinia is especially proud of its tapestries and locally produced wines.
- And...
- In The Spy Who Loved Me, Atlantis – the hideaway of Bond villain and general threat-to-world-peace Stromberg – is at Porto Cervo in Sardinia. There’s a pretty good car chase round the island, too, in a fabulous Lotus Esprit.
Diary
- May The Festa di San Simplico at the beautiful church in Olbia sees a musical procession, fireworks and a celebration of a local legend: the mussel. June The Festa della Madonna del Mare e di San Giovanni Battista, also in Olbia, is another religious festival with a procession of decorated boats. August The Mountain Festival up in Tempio Pausania combines further celebrations of food and religion. If you go along, take time to visit the local baths and spas.
