The pulsating heart of the Mediterranean Sea
SARDINIA
Sardinia is by extension the second
largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and has got an area of 9,301
square miles. Situated in the middle of Western Mediterranean lies just
7,5 miles from Corsica, 74 miles from Tuscany and almost 115 miles from
the North African coast. Its coasts are generally high and rocky and
the inner region is mainly mountainous. On the coast there are four
large gulfs: the Gulf of Cagliari, Oristano, Orosei and Asinara.
Sardinia in the whole enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate,
characterized by long and hot summers that go from the end of April
until the beginning of November, and short mild winters. The sunshine
hardly ever stops to shine here and the average temperatures in winter
range from between 52° to 71°F.The island was inhabited by many conquerors: The Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Byzantines and Spanish arrived here and settled on this fantastic land. Sardinia people assimilated all these different influences and integrated them into their own culture, sometimes still quite strong in the present Sardinian.
Sardinia is a very ancient land, set on a rock basement connecting the island to Corsica. The most ancient rocks date back to the Paleozoic era, (almost 570 million years ago). The Gennargentu (the highest Sardinian mountain range that is now a splendid National Park) rock instead were originated later on and they are composed of granite, limestone formations and lignite having vegetal origin.
CITIES
Sardinia is an autonomous region of Italy and the regional capital is Cagliari. The region is divided into four provinces: Cagliari, Nuoro, Oristano and Sassari; another four provinces (Olbia-Tempio, Ogliastra, Carbonia-Iglesias and Medio Campidano) were proposed in 2005 but they were not accepted.
ART AND CULTURE
The languages spoken on the island are Italian and Sardinian, a Romance language with obscure roots and a mixture of the ancient Phoenician and Etruscan language. Sardinian has been considerably supplanted by Italian for official purposes, nevertheless is still widely spoken both in big and small centers.
In the northern areas of Gallura and Sassari, the language spoken is not Sardinian but a variety of Corsican (Corsica is just 7 miles away by ferry). In the island of San Pietro, the dialect spoken is Ligurian, from Genoa while in Alghero in the northern area of the island, a mediaeval Catalan dialect is still spoken as a fragment of the ancient Catalan colonizers .
The languages spoken on the island are Italian and Sardinian, a Romance language with obscure roots and a mixture of the ancient Phoenician and Etruscan language. Sardinian has been considerably supplanted by Italian for official purposes, nevertheless is still widely spoken both in big and small centers.
In the northern areas of Gallura and Sassari, the language spoken is not Sardinian but a variety of Corsican (Corsica is just 7 miles away by ferry). In the island of San Pietro, the dialect spoken is Ligurian, from Genoa while in Alghero in the northern area of the island, a mediaeval Catalan dialect is still spoken as a fragment of the ancient Catalan colonizers .
THINGS TO DO
The island contains
numerous extraordinary tourist areas, including the Emerald Coast
(Costa Smeralda) with the riches resorts such as Porto Cervo and Porto
Rotondo and the Gennargentu mount range with its almost wild nature .
The island is particularly famous for its beaches and for other
fascinating places.
Sardinia is a worthiness natural resource, having protected thousands of rare animal and plant species.
The Island boasts splendid examples of plant life throughout the various zones of the territory, among which broom, cistus, rosemary, lentisk, pine and eucalyptus.
The wet areas are the home chosen by pink flamingos, whose number has increased over the years as the ideal conditions Sardinia offers are perfect both for nesting and breeding.
There are also numerous bald coots, ducks, storks, sea crows, Sultan hens, stilt birds and fascinating mammals such as Sardinian deer wild cats, fallow deer, chamois, hares and the in beautiful Monk Seal nowadays in danger of extinction.
Just as the physical heart of Sardinia, the area of Gennargentu mountain, has always been unreachable to foreigners. This conformation of the territory has helped Sardinian people to maintain their own identity without being particularly contaminated by the "continental people" (as they call Italian from the peninsula). Even in the most built-up areas of the island (Oristano, Alghero, Nuoro, Sassari, etc.), everything still maintains that ancient touch and you will feel it either if you decide to visit a museum, or to study the mystery of the "nuraghi" or to simply enjoy the magnificent beaches.
Sardinia is nothing else but peace and harmony.
Sardinia is a worthiness natural resource, having protected thousands of rare animal and plant species.
The Island boasts splendid examples of plant life throughout the various zones of the territory, among which broom, cistus, rosemary, lentisk, pine and eucalyptus.
The wet areas are the home chosen by pink flamingos, whose number has increased over the years as the ideal conditions Sardinia offers are perfect both for nesting and breeding.
There are also numerous bald coots, ducks, storks, sea crows, Sultan hens, stilt birds and fascinating mammals such as Sardinian deer wild cats, fallow deer, chamois, hares and the in beautiful Monk Seal nowadays in danger of extinction.
Just as the physical heart of Sardinia, the area of Gennargentu mountain, has always been unreachable to foreigners. This conformation of the territory has helped Sardinian people to maintain their own identity without being particularly contaminated by the "continental people" (as they call Italian from the peninsula). Even in the most built-up areas of the island (Oristano, Alghero, Nuoro, Sassari, etc.), everything still maintains that ancient touch and you will feel it either if you decide to visit a museum, or to study the mystery of the "nuraghi" or to simply enjoy the magnificent beaches.
Sardinia is nothing else but peace and harmony.
EVENTS
Sardinia boasts a rich patrimony of surprising popular customs, traditions, a folklore unique in its kind, as well as a rich calendar of events held throughout the year all over the island.
These festivals and ceremonies attract visitors from all over the world, but they also play an important part of community life for the local people.
The festivals represent a great opportunity to feel part of this captivating island and enjoy poetry recitals, singing, folk dances and original musical instruments, such as the "launeddas", a wind instrument similar to bagpipes.
Every town on the island celebrates its own fairs and celebrations and throughout the year there are in the whole more than one thousand events such as the Festival of Sant' Efisio (a religious festival), the Cavalcata Sarda, the Sartiglia, the Candelieri (events celebrating skilled horsemanship), The "Redentore" (Redeemer) and the Carnival.