Sardinia. How to enjoy the second largest island of Italy outside of jet-setters’ world of Porto Cervo?
Well, Porto Cervo is Porto Cervo, and Costa Smeralda is Costa Smeralda, and I’m very far from saying Porto Cervo doesn’t worth to be an icon of luxury travel. It was created to be an icon, and generations of high society made a history as no other. Such hotels as Romazzino, Pitrizza, Cala di Volpe may change management, but never the level of glamour, and there always will be travellers attracted by famous beach clubs of Costa Smeralda: Nikki Beach, Sottovento…
Nevertheless, this article is about other Sardinia which is somehow attached and criss-crossed with Costa Smeralda’s appeal but lives its own fascinating life.
No doubts, the first and utmost of Sardinia are the beaches. I believe, the best in Italy (well, Puglia can compete), and in Europe in total.
Those fabulous beaches are not always attached to very expensive hotels. They are just beaches, part of the nature. Sardinia is an island, and beaches are all over. By the way, there are no private beaches in Italy, they are all national property. Beach club or hotel may only rent part of it.
The uniqueness of Sardinia’s beaches is a seascape created by sculptural rocks (le rocce Sarde), and rare transparence of the water. The emerald colour of the water adds to it, even I was told that water doesn’t really have colour – it just reflects the colour of the sky. Well, the sky should be very special over the Sardinia island to paint the sea in these incredible shades.
Interesting, that this blue-emerald colour also repeats in the colour of the eyes of many native Sardinians. I always thought that combination of blue eyes and black hair is a very special beauty. Well, this is typical belezza sarda indeed. Probably when people look at the sea for generations, their eyes get the colour. (Just a romantic thought.)
To see more (and the best) of Sardinian sea, I would recommend a boat trip to Maddalena archipelago which lays between Sardinia and Corsica. It is incredible experience. Truly spectacular, and this sense of swimming in liquid emerald may only be repeated in the waters around Capri (from my experience).
Sardinian rocks (le rocce sarde) are no doubts between the most incredible creatures of the nature. Fancifully weathered by the wind and sea, these granite rocks often look like whimsical human-made sculptures. They make unique and inimitable landscapes in combination with emerald-coloured water.
Yet Sardinia, even worldwide famous for its instagram-worthy beaches, is not only seaside. Authentic Sardinia is NOT a seaside at all.
The history of the island which happened to be on the junction of so many ways, good and bad, taught locals to stay away from unpredictably dangerous sea shore. The more secure and protected habitat, historically, was up to the mountains, and the culture of the island cores there.
Interesting fact: traditionally, the less valued lands were those which were close to the sea. Men in the family would inherit pastures in the middle of the island while less important seaside land would be given to girls. As an irony of fate, nowadays, when shores became an incredible value, they often happen to belong to female line.
Back to Sardinian experiences… My favourite place for “real Sardinia” is Su Gologone Experience Hotel. Born as a restaurant based on local traditions, it soon became very successful, and then hotel was little by little built around it.
Su Gologone experience hotel in SardiniaThe experiences of Su Gologone are rooted to Sardinian land, and there is nothing fake or imitative. Sardinia as it is, concentrated in one place, collected and curated by fabulous Giovanna Palimodde.
Giovanna is a gifted artist and passionate hotelier born and raised in rural Sardinia. That is why her one of a kind hotel became an essence of the place.
Without leaving hotel you can effortlessly taste, sample, learn, and live local life. Colourful local crafts, Sardinian “tenores” – traditional pastoral singers, authentic food cooked in front of your eyes by locals, zero km ingredients, stargazing, degustations of all possible kinds, hands on cooking lessons, this is Su Gologone for you.
Sardinian cuisine is, sure enough, one of the core experiences of the island. It is different in different parts, but always genuine and hearty. Seaside offers abundance of fresh fish and seafood, and asking for catch of the day is always a good idea.
Specialities of midland are quite different. Dramatic history of island, which for a long time kept population away from the dangerous seashore, created cuisine traditions which are based on meat and vegetables rather than fish.
Famous Sardinian Blue Zone (land of centenarians) is in the mountains, and roasted sucking pig is part of centenarians’ diet, believe it or not.
Other specialities are endless: traditional breads, fritters, pies, goat cheese, sausages, honey… As Italians would say, “si lĆ mangia bene” which translates like “they it well there”. And oh, they do.
If you are not afraid of steep mountain roads, going up to visit rustic shepherd’s refuge can be very special adventure. Of course, life of most Sardinian shepherds changed through last decades, but there are still some who live traditional way like Tonino whom I happened to visit.
This refuge was used by family for generations, and it is still in use. Nowadays donkey, which was only mean of transportation quite recent, has retired and replaced by rustic jeep. And there is also power generator which allows light, fridge, and even small TV. But those are only changes pretty much.
Few words about Sardinian villages which I happened to visit. There are definitely way, way more than I can cover in this article – just few examples to tease.
San Pantaleo. Probably one of the most well known villages just out of Costa Smeralda, and one of the most picturesque, entertaining, and atmospheric. It is filled with small art galleries and lovely boutiques, and it is lively day or evening, a bit bohemian, a bit chic, with spectacular mountains as a background and local market every Thursday.
Porto Rotondo. More Italian and somehow more cultural alternative to posh-international Porto Cervo. This chic seaside village originates in 1964 when two Venetians, Luigi and NicolĆ² DonĆ delle Rose, got the idea of creating kind of meeting place for artists and intellectuals. It worked perfectly well.
Over the decades, Porto Rotondo was visited and lived by painters, sculptors, writers. As the result, the village became a home for a number of masterpieces created by great artists: sculpture, mosaics, murals.
I found atmosphere of Porto Rotondo very different from Porto Cervo, and my Sardinian friends agree. It is… well… more sophisticated, I would say, and more Italian.
Another village not to miss: Orgosolo in the historical region of Barbagia. Just over 4,000 inhabitants and lots of drama in the history of the place.
In 1960 Vittorio De Seta shoot a movie which won an award at the Venice Film Festival. It was called Banditi a Orgosolo. And yes, at some point this peaceful village was a home base for the Sardinian crime circuit. Those criminals were called banditi.
Somehow Sardinian banditi never became something as organized and established as Sicilian mafia or Neapolitan camorra. Sardinians say it didn’t happen because of individualism and independence of local character.
In any case, these days Orgosolo is famous because of over 150 murals decorating the village walls, not because of its banditi past.
The first mural in Orgosolo comes to 1969. It was signed by Dioniso, collective name of a group of anarchists. Few years later, in remembrance of the Resistance and Liberation of Italy from Nazism and Fascism, middle school teacher with Sienese origins and his former students painted another murals, to which various artists and local groups gradually added their own creations.
This very interesting phenomenon of street art spread over other Sardinian villages, and it is all together manifest, newspaper, capture of the moment, art, modern frescos, and definitely something unique to see when you are in Sardinia.
Sardinian history initiates from ancient human settlement. Indigenous Neuralgic civilization followed by Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Roman conquests. After the fall of Roman empire, the island was ruled by the Vandals, then Byzantines. Then it was ruled by Aragon (Spain), and Austria… and became part of united Italy in 1861. Quite a history with so many cultures made their footprint on this beautiful land.
One day I was taken to what my local friend mentioned as “very old village”. Well, “very old village” happened to be counting its history from something like 14th century BC. La Prisgiona, the archaeological pearl of Arzachena, is just a few km from the beaches of the Costa Smeralda and the glamorous Porto Cervo. Honestly, I don’t believe that many Porto Cervo habituĆ©s noticed its existence, but yet.
La Presgiona, oh yes, is a “very old village”, and perfectly preserved. The village plan is a masterpiece of urban planning, that is something I can tell you as the one who holds master degree in architecture. Simply amazing and worth visiting.
Imagine central tower topped with false dome, large courtyard with a well providing water for the settlement (still in working condition!), meeting hut, huts for different activities – pottery, food processing, etc. And for a moment imagine how truly old it all is. Fascinating.
Just one km away along the “path of the giants” is the tomb of Coddu Vecchju, a burial site from the Ancient Bronze Age (19th-17th BC).
I will not bother you here with all historical facts. The dimension of this land, historically, has no bottom. I’m a travel advisor, not a historian. My job is to lift the veil and make you interested. And yes, Sardinia is very interesting land indeed.
Official tourism site of Sardinia Other articles about Sardinia in this blogPlease feel free to contact me at [email protected] for your perfect Sardinian itinerary.
