Sardinia, a land as mysterious as generous and welcoming, make ancient traditions its peculiarities.
The second largest island in the Mediterranean, and the third region of Italy by extension, Ichnusa (Ιχνουσσα, transliterated as Hyknusa or Icnussa), as it was named by the Greeks, is full of mountains, forests and plains, largely uninhabited territories, water courses, rocky coastline and long sandy beaches. For the variety of its ecosystems the island has been described metaphorically as a micro-continent, whose beauty has been extolled by many travelers and writers. An untouched environment until the contemporary age, with a country that is home to the remains of the great nuragic civilizations.
These have developed in Sardinia from the Bronze Age to the second century BC, in the middle of the Roman era. The result of a cultural evolution that has its roots in the Neolithic, its most visible outcomes to this day are made up of dolmens, menhirs, domus de Janas and nuraghi. The latter, classified by UNESCO as World Heritage, are megalithic buildings, and the remains are the most eloquent evidence of the greatness of a civilization still partly enigmatic, that the Greeks described as rich and refined, grown up in a happy and free land. Up to date, about seven hundreds nuraghi villages and megalithic tombs remain scattered throughout the territory, living testimony of the unique civilization that developed on the island. The dolmen, in particular, was the center of social life of ancient Sardis, but in addition to this, other structures characterized this culture, as the giants' tombs (burial sites), whose central pillar can be up to four meters height, and sacred wells (places of worship), built with refined construction techniques; another symbol of this civilization are the bronze, cast by the lost wax technique, and many arrived to the present day.
The Nuragic people, warriors and sailors, shepherds and farmers, traded with the major civilizations along routes that crossed the Mediterranean from Spain to Lebanon. Through the centuries, the influences coming from crossed migrations and trades have further enriched the social and cultural fabric of the island, helping to make it unique in the world. From the Neolithic to the present day, Sardinia has much to offer and to discover.
Geographically divided into different zones between them (Logudoro, Barbagia, Campidano, Gallura, Nurra, Ogliastra), they provide a wide range of views and landscapes of rare beauty. The most isolated coves to the highlands, from the sandy beaches to the hills, through the towns and typical inland villages, from north to south of the island, routes and paths to explore can satisfy the more demanding traveler. A unique blend of nature, history and culture, in accordance with ancient traditions that are perpetuated today, from crafts to unique flavors of authentic Mediterranean cuisine by seasonal events to festivals, live material for those who want to discover the true soul of Sardinia.
The same soul, in fact, end up in the preciousness of wicker handmade baskets, of embroidery fabrics, or in the typical jewelry manufacturing, and in many other a creative arts that spread the authentic vibes of their origins. Enjoy varied cuisine, the result of contamination between different Mediterranean cultures, characterized by both the legacy agropastoral as insularity. Fine wines will accompany banquets where there will be seafood, roasted meats, cheeses, bread carasau, pastas such as ravioli or culurgiones, and sweet as seadas, for example. Whether it's seafood or land, you will know the meaning and flavor of an authentic Mediterranean diet. It will not be difficult to experience up close the myths and rituals of ancestral Sardinian, including archaeological sites, museums, events and festivals that are held periodically throughout the year, the added value of an island that continues to innovate and meet in the colors of the costumes and songs of past ages, as evidenced by the mamuthones or Mamoiada's issahodores, or Candlesticks of Sassari, just to mention some of the thousands of events that will fire the imagination to travel through time, as well as in space.
Quintessential Mediterranean, Sardinia can offer the magic of an authentic corner of the world suspended between past and present.