Holidays to Sardinia
Nestling in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Tunisia, Sardinia oozes old fashion charm, superb beaches and rich history. Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean offering a range of holiday destinations including the capital, Cagliari and the delightful beach resorts of Baia Sardinia and Santa Margherita di Pula.
Sardinia’s regions and towns offer a real mixture of different influences, although 98% of today’s Sardinian are Italian. Romans dominated Sardinia nearly 700 years, which resulted in the heavily Roman influenced pre-history. As a result of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabel of Castile’s marriage, Sardinia became Spanish in 1479 and this ruling lasted for approximately 400 years. This Spanish period has left a lasting impact on Sardinia integrating a number of Spanish traditions, customs and the Spanish language which is still one of the many official languages in Sardinia. Sardinian is most widely spoken, but some towns particularly have a fascinating Catalan history and Spanish is still spoken in some places like Alghero and Iglesias.
Sardinia is beautifully diversity. Boasting idyllic coastal towns, charming harbours and fantastic white sandy beaches on the coastal regions - and green valleys with citrus groves, forested mountains and charming traditional villages inland. Soft powdery sand and turquoise waters adore the endless coastline - Sardinia has many famous beaches, Porto Cervo and Porto Rafael being two of the most famous where you can see luxury yachts moored and Hollywood film stars walking on the beach.
The capital of Sardinia, Cagliari, has seen the rule of many civilizations leaving behind a rich culture and architecture. Located on the southern coast, Cagliari (a ‘castle’ in Sardinian) boasts many historical buildings including the Cathedral of Cagliari and the majestic old part of the city, Castello (a castle). Sitting on top of a hill overlooking the Gulf of Cagliari, most of Castello’s original walls are still intact and feature two 14th century white limestone towers. White limestone is used throughout the city creating a feel of sophistication.Cagliari is home to one of the largest ports in Europe - and enjoys a lively atmosphere in its many cafes, bar and restaurants especially during the summer when tourists come to explore this excellent capital.
Sardinia is known for its sumptuous food. Charming trattorias (typical Italian restaurants offering a fairly casual ambience) line the idyllic cobbled streets serving fresh fish, seafood, pasta and home-made pizzas. This pretty island offers wonderful treats such as local sweet pastries and amazing cheeses such as smoked ricotta and pecorino (hard cheese made from ewe’s milk) which perfectly pair with the fruity, regional wines!
Surrounded by blue Mediterranean Sea, beautiful coastline and soft white beaches, wildly colourful towns and history, amazing Roman ruins, mouth-watering Italian cuisine, Sardinia is a fabulous destination for beach-lovers, food-lovers and history-lovers. It delights, surprises and so easily captures your heart.
The best time to visit Sardinia is from spring to early autumn with July and August being the busiest months. Temperatures drop quite considerably in the winter - and some of the hotels and restaurants close for a longer period.