Weekend in Sardinia 🌊

Swimming where ancient civilizations once stood

We spent a long weekend in Sardinia in late September, and the weather was absolutely perfect. Most tourists were gone, and we enjoyed a warm weekend hiking, swimming, and eating in paradise. We flew into Cagliari and explored the southwest, an area I had read about in

Yolanda Edwards

’ Yolo Travel Blog as being nature-filled and rustic. It was every bit as dreamy as I imagined.

Coffee and a Pastry

We chose our weekend base in Sant’Antioco, a peninsula on the southwest coast of Sardinia. There was an amazing bakery in town called Panificio Calabrò that had the fanciest pastries. I tried the Sicilian ricotta bread but was most satisfied by my old friend, the pain au chocolat. We took breakfast to the beach most days. Unlike the rocky beaches here in Naples and along the Amalfi Coast, the beaches in Sardinia are white and sandy, with clean and turquoise waters.

In general, the food in Sardinia was pretty good. They’re known for dumpling-style ravioli called culurgiones. We had these ones stuffed with cheese and topped with local olive oil and pine nuts.

One thing I was surprised to see on the menu here: donkey. There are lots of donkeys in Sardinia, and even some wild, native breeds that are endangered. I was quite surprised to see it, but challenged my initial reaction by reading more about it. It turns out many cultures eat donkey, including in China, Italy, and Latin America.

Adventure near Ancient Sites

Another amazing part of flying into Cagliari and heading southwest was seeing the flamingos, or fenicotteri, perched in the lagoon when we landed. Flamingos live in this region of Sardinia, and we learned just why their feathers are pink (they eat shrimp!). We passed the fenicotteri and headed to the ancient city of Nora. Nora was a Phoenician hub and was later taken over by the Romans. The archaeological site is in excellent condition, which surprised me given its proximity to the ocean.

Later, once we reached Sant’Antioco, we took an e-bike tour of a salt mine. We passed by ancient druids on the tour. The druids came from a civilization even older than the Roman one: the Nuragic civilization, who lived in Sardinia from 1500 - 500 B.C. Their name comes from their dwellings, called Nuraghe, which are stone-structured circular homes that can be visited in different areas of the island. The druids are said to represent man and woman. Can you tell which one is which?

Culture

One day, we took a ferry to an even smaller island called the Isola di San Pietro. We visited the main city, Carlofote, which is a fishing village known for its tuna. Carloforte was full of colors and beauty. The town was established by Ligurian fishermen who were originally from Tunisia. Therefore, the island has unique Tunisian and Ligurian traditions. The original Tabarka dialect is still spoken by some residents in Carloforte. I find it amazing how islands can preserve their unique history and traditions so much better than the mainland.

The tree was truly the center of town. It was towering over the central piazza. Many nonni and nonne were sitting beneath it, enjoying the shade, people-watching, and gossiping. I enjoyed the local shopping. I bought some hand-woven pillows and linens at one of the many textile shops.

Overall, I loved the culture of Sardinia, especially the bronzed nonni who ruled the beaches. It was hard to choose a “quadrant” of Sardinia to stick to in a short weekend, so I’d love to go back and choose another corner of the island to visit. While many people go only for the beaches, I found Sardinia to be a culture-rich island with tons of natural beauty.

Are you gearing up for summer travel, dear readers? Where will you go? We do have a hiking trip planned in the Dolomites, which I am very much looking forward to.

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