Luxury hotel holidays to Sardinia

Highlights of Sardinia

Visit Sassari on the west coast of the island, a town with a mediaeval quarter, cathedral and Renaissance Fonte Rosello. Alghero has a very Spanish feel and from here you can take a boat trip to the Grotta di Nettuno, a spectacular, deep, natural cave. Tour the interior of the island, dotted with about 7,000 nuraghe, truncated stone structures built from basalt blocks. In the centre of the island are the dramatic Gennargentu mountains, whose highest point is Punta la Marmora at just over 6,000 ft (local traditions are keenly preserved in this region). To the north of the Costa Smeralda is the Maddalena Archipelago, of about 14 rocky islands and islets, beautifully scenic and with a rugged coastline. The Costa Smeralda itself consists of pink granite headlands, sandy creeks and bays with wooded hills and mountain ridges behind.

Cultural highlights of Sardinia

Visit the church of Santissima Trinita di Saccargia near Sassari for its 13th Century frescoes. The Catalan-Gothic 16th Century Cathedral on Alghero. Nuoro has been the home of some of Sardinia’s most important literary figures including Grazia Deledda who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1926. The Museo Nazionale Archeologico in Cagliari houses bronze votive statuettes of the Nuragic people.

Festivals in Sardinia

Cavalcata Sarda festival in Sassari on Ascension Day. Sagra del Redentore festival in Nuoro illustrates traditional dancing and dialects of the region. Feast of the Mamuthones in Mamoiada includes a ritual dance full of the fierce folkoric tradition of the Gennargentu mountains.

Gastronomy in Sardinia

The gastronomy of Sardinia is based very much on produce from the land, especially milk products and meat. Ewe's milk produces Sardinian pecorino cheese, used to flavour many regional dishes. Meat is often cooked over hot embers or roasted on a spit. Specialities include 'Prosciutto di cinghiale' (wild boar ham) and 'Succutundu' (strong meat stock with semolina balls). Roast lamb with rosemary and thyme features regularly on menus. Nougat is a local speciality. Sardinia produces its own red and white wines, with Nuragus and Vernaccia being the best known.