Sardinia Quick Facts and Figures

 compiled by Gepi Sanna

Sardinia (an island), and a region of Italy, sits just south of the Island of Corsica in the blue Tyrrhenian Sea.

When one speaks of music of Sardinia this cannot recall the ancestral world of Nuraghi. Traditional Sardinian music is one of the oldest of the Mediterranean, to be considered a form of art as it manifest itself. The "Canto a Tenores", a chorus by male voices is a chant tipical of the central area of Sardinia, rich of interesting places to discover on excursions and open air activities, where to encounter all year round  extensive program of festivals and village feasts. To hear the sounds of Sardinia means catch that moment when ancients Sardinia touches the modern one, in a a world all to be discovered. Musician such as Enzo Favata, Paolo Fresu, Antonello Salis can be the musical guide to start from the modern on the way back to the roots.

Meat dishes belong to the gastronomic tradition of the central part of Sardinia and they carry strong signs of the  shepherd culture. The taste at table in these parts of Sardinia are dominated by the lamb dishes, followed by the young pig, particularly suckling female
Both ovine than swine in Sardinia are bred by free range farming, so in constant relation to all food nature give animal availability to. Pigs have meat is enriched by the staple acorn food which is this animal favourite. The mountains of the inside of Sardinia are also inhabited  by hares, pellets, quails and rabbits, which are widely used in traditional Sardinia cuisine. A space of its own in the meat preparation in Sardinia is occupied by the wild boar. Apart from an array of dishes which use as ingredient fresh boar, this animal is widely used for the production of the extraordinary cured sausages.
Cooking meats of the spit is probably the most common way throughout the island. This is a job that is traditionally carried out by  men. The meat has to be skilfully be cooked to perfection. The meat is by ancient tradition only  cooked at quite a distance from the fire so that the heat penetrates the meat gently and entirely (note that animals are cooked whole). Another popular cooking method in the entroterra is the "Incarralzadu" an ancient Sardinian techniqu: a large hole is the ground is dug which is lined with mirto bushes (an aromatic plant also used to make the famous drink "Mirto"). The animal is laid and then again cover with more mirto bushes. The hole is then covered up and a fire is lit on top , around which chants and dances accompany the drinking  until the pig is cooked. Sardinian cuisine is mainly "di terra" (land), but the richness of Sardinians sea gives us a range of fish, seafood and crustaceans which open infinite possibilities for the most amazing gastronomic recipes. The variety of fish which abound in the Mediterranean and Sardinian sea allow of course endless combinations of gastronomic elaboration: starting from the "copaxa de peix" (fish soup) to all the variations of grilled and fried dishes. The predominant importance is occupied (at least for Alghero for sure) by the undisputed queen of the sea and the table: the lobster. An important part of Sardinian cooking is given to legumes and vegetables: broad beans, peas, tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines dishes here are between the tastiest in the world.

An holiday in Sardinia means exotic beaches and the clearest sea probably in the whole world, but there are other attractions. An holiday in Sardinia is also remembered for the architecture of its Nuraghi, its music, the  but amazing food made simply prepared with the freshest ingredient and its excellent wine. Arts and crafs, music, the all year round programme of festivals together with the rich programs of activities on offer will contribute to give you a refreshing and  memorable time. 

Discovering Sardinia is discovering a world connected to an ancient culture, kept alive also by the feast and festivals which visitors can enjoy all year round. Festivals connected to religion such as "Il Lunissanti" in Castelsardo, village which was built as if it is climbing around a rock on the sea, "S'Ardia" in Sedilo, race of devotion for this village saint-patron, the "Discesa dei Candelieri" in Sassari where enormous candles are carried by the town unions of craftsmen, which mix with the more leisurely carnival celebrations such as "La Sartiglia" in Oristano, "S'Attidu" in Bosa or the parades of the "Mammuthones" in Mamoiada, the "Merdules" in Ottana and the "Thurpos" in Orotelli, all Sardinian Traditional masks of central-Sardinia.
Going through the endless festivals it is possible to meet a Sardinia in its roots, where music and traditional dance have the flavour of the antiquity, easy to taste during gastro-enologic festivals (many of which also dedicated  to fish dishes) or at craft fairs such as the fair of Carpets in  Mogoro or S'arresojas (traditional Sardinian knives), in Montevecchio. >>>>

Sardinia (an island), and a region of Italy, sits just south of the Island of Corsica in the blue Tyrrhenian Sea. It's about 160 miles long, 68 miles wide, and 115 miles west of the Italian mainland. It has survived invasions by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Byzantines, Spanish Savoyards and Italians, and local festivals still reflect those cultures. Numerous prehistoric Nuraghe castles, villages, temples and tombs dot the countryside, and with its perfect weather, tourists arrive in droves, many by ferry. Click here for maps>>>

Sardinian art, in all its facets, it reaches from memory, tradition and without omitting innovation. Starting from sculpture, i Menhir, the refined ceramics of the Neolithic , the bull heads carved into the rock, the nuragic bronzetti we can follow a thread of evolution to get to contemporary times, and this influences are still alive. Through this evolution painting, literature, ceramics, ramble between past and present showing their solid roots. Modern as the same as primitive sculptures such as Costantino Nivola's,  the island, its dramatics and intense faces, the hystory, the sense of divinity of the painter Mario Delitala, the stories of memory and therefore personal narrated by Grazia Deledda, the novels by Giuseppe Dessì have insular connotations but adapt themselves to a more general level until we arrive to Sergio Atzeni and Hantó: these authors narrate Sardinia, not still an island but now a micro cosmos.
This micro cosmos gets imploded in the pictures of photographers such as Albergo Zilaghe who narrates Sardinia's poetry with pictures, and the nature photography of Mauro Sanna who makes travel with his camera around Sardinia,  as we can travel through time with the  timeless artistic ceramics of Giuseppe Deiana.

D H Lawrence - Sea and Sardinia -A marvellous, wry account of a trip to Sardinia,

The historical town of Nuoro in Sardinia gives ambient to this sharp and brilliantly translated novel by Sebastiano Satta: The Day of The Judgement.

The Lead Goat Veered Off is a travelogue that humorously describes a three month portion of Neil Anderson (author)'s European bicycle tour.

Lonely Planet Sardinia - Damien Simonis -  Sardinia is an island for escape and adventure. Explore every corner of this Mediterranean treasure with Lonely Planet's essential guide.

Eyewitness Sardinia Travel Guide -  Eyewitness guides are the acclaimed market leader in the highly competitive area of travel guide publishing.

Giuliano Bugialli's The Foods Of Sicily And Sardinia And The Smaller Islands is a fantastic culinary journey brimming with recipes and related lore from the region.

Insight guide of Sardinia - This guide includes features on bird-watching, hiking and mountain-climbing.