Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sardinia Highlights
Walking on the wild side in the spectacular Gola Su Gorropu ( Click here ).
Feeling the lure of the sea on the windswept beaches of the Costa Verde ( Click here ).
Wandering the medieval backstreets of Il Castello ( Click here ) , Cagliari's rocky citadel.
Rubbing bronzed shoulders with the rich and super-famous on the Costa Smeralda ( Click here ) .
Boning up on prehistory at Nuraghe Su Nuraxi ( Click here ), Sardinia's sole World Heritage Site.
Dropping anchor in the brilliant aquamarine waters of the Golfo di Orosei ( Click here ) .
Soaking up the Spanish vibe of Alghero ( Click here ), roaming its cobbled alleyways.
Taking a drive along the serpentine SS125 for captivating views of the mountains and the Med
( Click here ).
Marvelling at the mysterious nuraghic ruins of Tiscali ( Click here ), high in the Supramonte.
Exploring stalactites and stalagmites at the fairy-tale Grotta di Nettuno ( Click here ) .
History
Little is known about Sardinia's prehistory, but the first islanders probably arrived from
mainland Italy around 350,000 BC. By the neolithic period (8000 BC to 3000 BC) tribal
communities were thriving in north-central Sardinia. Their Bronze Age descendants,
known as the nuraghic people, dominated the island until the Phoenicians arrived around
850 BC. The Carthaginians came next, followed by the Romans, who took over in the 3rd
century BC.
In the Middle Ages, the island was div-ided into four independent giudicati (kingdoms)
but by the 13th century the Pisans and Genoese were battling for control. They in turn were
toppled by the Catalan-Aragonese from northern Spain, who also had to subdue bitter Sard
resistance led by Eleonora d'Arborea (1340-1404), Sardinia's very own Joan of Arc.
Sardinia became Spanish territory after the unification of the Spanish kingdoms in 1479
and today there remains a tangible Hispanic feel to towns such as Alghero and Iglesias. In
the ensuing centuries, Sardinia suffered as Spain's power crumbled; in 1720 the Italian Sa-
voys took possession of the island. After Italian unity in 1861, Sardinia found itself under
the boot of Rome.
In the aftermath of WWII, efforts were made to drag the island into the modern era. In
1946 a huge project was launched to rid the island of malaria and in 1948 Sardinia was
granted its own autonomous regional parliament.
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