Sardinia, Italy ~ Travel

Sardinia ( /sɑrˈdɪniə/, Italian: Sardegna [sarˈdeɲɲa], Sardinian: Sardigna [sarˈdinja]) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and before Cyprus). It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are (clockwise from north) the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.

The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[], romanised as sardus (feminine sarda); that the name had a religious connotation is suggested from its use also as the adjective for the ancient Sardinian mythological hero-god Sardus Pater "Sardinian Father" (misunderstood by many modern Sardinians/Italians as being "Father Sardus"), as well as being the stem of the adjective "sardonic". Sardinia was called Ichnusa (the Latinised form of the Greek Hyknousa), Sandalion, Sardinia and Sardo by the ancient Greeks and the Romans.

Transport

Airports

Sardinia has three international airports (Alghero Airport, Olbia - Costa Smeralda Airport, and Cagliari-Elmas Airport) connected with the principal Italian cities and many European destinations, mainly in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Spain, and Germany, and two regional airports (Oristano-Fenosu Airport and Tortolì Airport). Internal air connections between Sardinian airports are limited to a daily Cagliari-Olbia flight, and Tortolì-Olbia flight.[23] Sardinian citizens benefit from special sales on plane tickets, and several low-cost air companies operate on the island. Meridiana Fly is an airline based in the airport of Olbia; it was founded as Alisarda in 1963 by the Aga Khan, Prince Karim al-Hussayni. The development of the Meridiana airlines followed the development of the resort village of Porto Cervo in the north east part of the island, a well known vacation spot among billionaires and movie stars worldwide.

Quartu Sant'Elena 71,254 inhab.

Ship transport

The ferry companies operating on the island are Tirrenia di Navigazione, Moby Lines, Corsica Ferries, Grandi Navi Veloci, Snav, SNCM, and CMN; they link the Sardinian harbors of Porto Torres, Olbia, Golfo Aranci, Arbatax, Santa Teresa Gallura, Palau and Cagliari with Civitavecchia, Genoa, Livorno, Naples, Palermo, Trapani, Piombino in Italy, Marseille, Toulon, Bonifacio, Propriano and Ajaccio in France, and Barcelona in Spain. A regional ferry company, the Saremar, links the main island to the islands of La Maddalena and San Pietro, and from 2011, also the port of Olbia with Civitavecchia.

Alstom Minuetto in Cagliari railway station

Roads

Sardinia is the only Italian region without motorways, but the road network is well developed, with a system of "superstrade" (dual carriage freeways), that connect the principal towns and the transport infrastructures; the speed limit is 90 km/h. The principal road is the SS131 "Carlo Felice", linking the north with the south of the island, crossing the most populated regions of Sassari and Cagliari; it is part of European route E25. The SS 131 d.c.n links Oristano with Olbia, crossing the hinterland Nuoro region. Other roads designed for high-capacity traffic link Sassari with Alghero, Sassari with Tempio Pausania, Sassari - Olbia, Cagliari - Tortolì, Cagliari - Iglesias, Nuoro - Villagrande Strisaili. A work in progress is converting the main routes to highways standards, with the elimination of all intersections. The secondary inland and mountain roads are generally narrow with many hairpin turns, so the speed limits are very low. Public transport buses reach every town and village at least once a day; however, due to the low density of population, the smallest territories are reachable only by car. The Azienda Regionale Sarda Trasporti (Arst) is the public regional bus transport agency.

The sea at Stintino

Railways

The Sardinian railway system was developed in the 19th century, by the English engineer Lord Benjamin Piercy. Trains connect the whole island, and there are two different railway operators. Trenitalia is the largest, connecting the largest towns, the main ports, and also the Italian peninsula through the use of train ferries. This network is the most modern on the island, running primarily diesel locomotives such as the Alstom "Minuetto" and, from 2012, speed tilting trains such as the Spanish CAF Class 598 or the Talgo XXI. The second operator is ARST Gestione FdS, best known as Ferrovie della Sardegna (Sardinian Railways), running on narrow-gauge track, and they are generally very slow, except the electrified tram-trains, operating in the metropolitan areas of Sassari and Cagliari. Many tourists catch the trenino verde, which runs through the wildest parts of the island. It is slow but allows the traveller to have scenic views impossible to see from the main road.

Porto Giunco in Villasimius

On the trail in Sardinia

Locals will tell you that the only way to see Sardinia’s startlingly beautiful coastlines and rugged hinterland is to get out and hike.

And there is no better place to hit the trails than in the island’s wild east, where mountains collide spectacularly with the Mediterranean in the Golfo di Orosei and Gennargentu National Park. Here are three of our favourite half-day hikes.

The Campidano Plain near Las Plassas

Gola Su Gorropu

Often billed as “Europe’s Grand Canyon”, the Gola Su Gorropu is an isolated and dramatic gorge, best reached on foot from the Genna ‘e Silana pass on route SS125. Allow four to five hours for the round-trip trek.

The 10.5 km trail threads past starkly eroded limestone slopes, rock pinnacles and cliffs pockmarked with caves. Gnarled holm oaks offer cool respite on hot days, but otherwise the landscape is raw and uncompromising. As you descend, the view cracks open to reveal the entrance to the gorge.

Gennargentu Ranges in winter

The ravine has 400m-high walls of sheer limestone, which block out the sun and silence the world outside. Follow the cairns for some easy hopping across the boulders that surround the gorge. Near the narrowest point, which is just four metres wide, intrepid climbers tackle the notoriously tough Hotel Supramonte, a near-vertical limestone cliff which towers 400m above the Gola Su Gorropu and is one of the hardest climbs on the island. Pine martens, golden eagles and mouflon can be spotted here at quieter times of the day.

Granitic landscape in Gallura

Cala Goloritzè

Doable even with kids in tow, this gentle two-and-a-half hour, 7.5 km round-trip hike takes you to the lovely bay of Cala Goloritzè, nestled in the southern crook of the Golfo di Orosei. The trailhead is the otherworldly Golgo plateau, where wild goats, pigs and donkeys graze.

Cala Goloritzé in Ogliastra Baunei

Following old mule trails, the path picks its way through centuries-old woods and Mediterranean scrub that is fragrant with wild rosemary. As you approach the bay, you will get arresting views of the glittering sea and of sheer limestone cliffs pitted with caves. Steps lead down to Cala Goloritzè, a perfect half-moon bay with frost-white pebbles thrashed by a sea that goes through the entire spectrum of blues, from aquamarine to cobalt. Bizarre limestone formations soar away from the cliffs, including Monte Caroddi or Aguglia, a 148m-high finger of rock that is a beacon to climbers.

A typical limestone tacco in Ogliastra

Tiscali

This half-day, 10.5 km hike takes you through a silent karst wilderness to the enigmatic Bronze Age settlement of Tiscali, accessible only by foot. Beginning at the Sa Barva bridge, the scenery is immediately spectacular, with walls of limestone rising like an iron curtain above the Flumineddu River. The boulder-dotted trail makes a steady ascent before passing through shady holm-oak and turpentine woods, flecked with pink cyclamens in spring. Lizards and the occasional bird of prey are likely to be your only companions.

A short final climb brings you to the eerie magnificence of the archaeological site of Tiscali, where skeletal ruins huddle in the twilight of a collapsed limestone cave. Survey the verdant Lainattu Valley below and appreciate the overwhelming sense of calm.

Giants' grave in Dorgali

How to

Spring and autumn are the best times for hiking in Sardinia, with mild temperatures and plenty of seasonal colour. Invest in a good map as not all trails are signposted, though some are way-marked with handy cairns and paint splashes. If you would rather join a group, Cooperativa Gorropu and Cooperativa Goloritzè arrange guided walks for around 40 euro per person. A great base for hikers and climbers is the Lemon House in Lotzorai.