Sardinia is a breathtakingly beautiful island in the Mediterranean, a favourite of hikers and beachgoers alike. As well as an endless pastoral landscape, Sardinia boasts a great many hidden gems. The Costa Smeralda is the area of Sardinia most popular with tourists, featuring nightlife, restaurants and golf clubs interspersed amongst glorious white beaches. However, many people prefer the quieter countrysides of Sardinia, and indeed they have a great deal to offer. Those with a love of history should first visit Orgosolo, once known as village of the murderers due to the tendency of bandits to roam there. Its museums and murals speak to the town's exciting past, and its B&Bs are simple, warm and friendly. A few kilometres away from Orgosolo sits the municipality of Mamoiada, the carnival town, famous for its masks and costumes. Drop by to witness the amazing displays. Those who love to walk have a huge variety of routes to choose from in Sardinia - coastal paths, forests, mountains. Many hotels also offer bikes that visitors can rent out, which is often a popular option with children. And after a long day's exploring the stunning scenery, visitors to Sardinia can relax in any of Sardinia's restaurants and sample their delicious Italian food and Cannonau wines.
The Mediterranean island of Sardinia is well known for its beautiful sandy coastlines, but venture into the inland areas and a different world awaits. Largely mountainous, you'll find small unspoilt villages surrounded by rugged limestone peaks, including the Punta La Marmora in the Gennargentu range with a height of 1,834m. On a clear day, the summit of this highest mountain in Sardinia offers stunning views across the whole island, with most of the coast clearly visible. The Gennargentu National Park is criss-crossed with hiking trails for all abilities, where trekkers can explore the valleys and peaks surrounded by abundant wildlife and wild plants, many unique to the island. In winter the landscape of the higher interior is transformed, and skiers are well catered for in four resorts with ski lifts reaching slopes up to 1,820m high. For a truly spectacular sight, try a visit to the Su Gorropu, the deepest canyon in Europe. Approximately 5km long, this gorge has walls towering up to 450m vertically beside a path that at times is no wider than 5m. Popular with walkers, Su Gorropu also attracts brave souls scaling the sheer canyon walls for an unmatched climbing experience.
Sardina's cultural heritage stretches back to pre-history, as can be seen in the mysterious ancient stone ruins of Santa Christina which are more than 3,800 years old, and feature a sacred well and underground shrine. Ever since then the island has been a meeting point between the cultures of northern Europe and the exotic East. Signs of this past remain in the ruins of the 730BC Phoenician port of Tharros, much of which is now excavated and restored. The Romans spent time in Sardinia too, and 28km from Oristano lies the old spa town of Forum Traiani built around hot sulphur springs. A modern spa complex lies beside the older Roman remains and 19th century buildings. For a more modern cultural experience, the village of San Sperate lies around 25km inland and is known as a living museum The walls and buildings are home to over 320 paintings which began to appear in the 1960s and continue to this day. The village is easily reachable by bus from Cagliari. In Cagliari itself you can find two art museums of note. The Siamese Art Museum exhibits an extensive collection of art works, crafts, silverware and more from South East Asia from the 11th century onwards. The National Picture Gallery of Cagliari has works by Sardinia's own Pietro Cavaro, alongside other fine examples of Sardinian art, pottery and weaponry.
Italy's Sardinia, which is the Mediterranean Sea's second biggest island, earned the nickname Wine Island during the sixteenth century. Most of the vineyards that produce the best quality wines are located from the scenic Orosei coastline to Bari Sardo and the mountainous region of Atzara. To sample Sardinia's treasure, make a trip to winery in Jerzu. Various blends of the famous Cannonau red wines can be enjoyed here. Cannonau di Sardegna contains around 99 percent of the local Cannonau grapes. Carignano wines, being one of the country's finest wines, is located in the coastal area of Sulcis. Imagine enjoying a bottle of deep red ruby wine with your travel companions while lying on the white sandy beach and taking in the beautiful coastal view. If you are a fan of white wines, take a trip to San Vero Milis, which also has a breathtaking view of the sea. Here you get to sample Vernaccia di Oristano and other blends of Vernaccia wines. Vernaccia wines are said to be one of the world's most ancient wines, dating back to the Phoenician era. Vernaccia di Oristano is named after grapes of the same name. Another popular Sardinian white wine is Vermentino. Vermentino wines are made from light-skinned white grapes. Among the famous blends of Vermentino is Vermentino di Gallura DOCG. To sample this high quality white wine, take a trip to the lovely mountainous area of Monti territory where the famous Cantina del Vermentino winery is located.
Italy is known for many different things, such as for its beauty, its culture, the incredible food and the extremely lively people who live there but, also, for its amazing beaches. There are kilometres and kilometres of beaches in Italy, and that is one of the many reasons why millions of tourists decide to spend their summer holidays in Italy year after year. There are many regions in Italy which have lots of beautiful beaches to offer, but if you are looking for the most popular one and the one which is known for being the best of them all, Sardinia is the one. Many celebrities spend their summer holidays there and many movies and music videos have been filmed in those beaches. In the north of the island of Sardinia, you will find Arzachena, an area which has some incredible beaches such as Tanca Manna, which is hidden behind a saltwater lake. The fact it's sort of hidden means it's never packed with people which makes it an ideal beach to relax on your own or to take your children to have some fun on the sand. Also in the north of Sardinia you will find the extremely popular Costa Smeralda and its beautiful bays and beaches. Some of them are very easy to find which means they tend to be full, but many of them are also hidden in smaller areas, which makes them ideal for families. Somewhere there you will find the Capriccioli Beach, which is one of the most popular of the whole area and where you will have the chance to hire a boat as well as enjoy some delicious meal, in some of the best restaurants in the whole of Sardinia. But if you are hoping to keep yourself active, rather than spend your days relaxing by the sea, don't worry because Sardinia has a lot to offer. In the Isola dei Gabbiani, you will find hundreds of people practicing windsurf, thanks to the weather conditions, which are the best to practice this sport. Also in Cannigione you will find a water sports centre, where you will be able to organise activities such as windsurfing, sailing, water-skiing and fishing. In the south of Sardinia, you will find a mixture of underdeveloped beaches and more developed areas dotted with lots of residential areas, hotels, restaurants and bars. In St Margherita you will find a long, sandy beach with some summer resorts where you will get the chance to hire a boat and even sea scooters. Then there is the Chia beach, which is ideal if you are looking for a long, sandy beach with an amazing view and even more incredible water; this beach has been voted as one of the fifth best beaches to visit in Europe. There, you will also get the chance to hire material to practice windsurf as well as hire sea kayaks.