Sardegna - Amordivino

Sardegna

Population: 1.661.429
Surface (Kmq): 24090
Density (Inhabitants/Kmq.): 69
Main city: Cagliari (CA)
Other towns: Nuoro (NU); Oristano (OR); Sassari (SS).

Sardegna (Sardinia) offers a wealth of unspoilt marine environment, crystal clear waters, beautiful beaches and cliffs. From Capo Caccia, north of Alghero and the bright Capo Spartivento, near Chia, to the fantastic Cala Domestica which almost like a fjord makes its way into the heart of the south eastern coast, the Golfo di Orosei, with amazing pink cliffs. Here is the extremely popular Costa Smeralda, playground for the rich and famous. Even the most primitive part of Sardegna’s interior is unfailingly enticing, with its nuraghi, conical shaped stone towers; its domus de janas, small prehistoric tombs dug into the rock; or its menhirs, groups of which can also be found in small local museums. Sardegna intrigues also for its peculiar geological formation - extensive areas dominated by limestone, like Supramonte, alternate with granite cliffs, modelled by the wind over the millennia.

A journey through Sardegna is a journey that involves all the senses: a vast array of perfumes, flavours and colours beckon as one leaves the larger cities behind. The wine routes of the island lead to fantastic landscapes where viticulture has been in existence since pre-Roman times, a tradition that began with the people of the nuraghi and continues into the third millennium. From the Romans to the late Sardinina-Piedmontese kingdom, through the Tuscan and Genovese fiefdoms, the Benedictine or Camaldolean monks and the Spaniards, all contributed to expand and introduce new techniques. The panorama is never monotonous or repetitive and at times displays or hides the remote, unique and complex origins of this Mediterranean island.

The nuraghi represent the evolution of the megalithic civilisation and show a rational approach to building, as proven by their conical shape, which make it easier to pile the large stones on top of each other. The shape and strategic deployment of the nuraghi led to believe they were military and defensive constructions. The hypothesis was superseded by recent discoveries which showed that they were also used for religious purposes.