Images on this page courtesy of the Sardinian Tourist Board.
Sardinia
Diverse attractions As they fl y in to Sardinia, new visitors are often surprised by its diverse topography. Most decide to take a holiday to the island – which lies equidistant between Italy and Tunisia, approximately 200km from each coastline – because they’ve heard about its vast swathes of sandy beaches. On their descent to Sardinia, however, they also see tall, rocky cliffs, remnants of Roman and Punic settlements, a smattering of picturesque medieval walled towns and lush green plains – all dwarfed by the immense Gennargentu Mountain Range that dominates the centre of the island. At 6,017ft, Punta La Marmora – the tallest of the Gennargentu Mountains – is not exactly comparable with the Alps. Yet this and the other peaks, which are obscured by snow from November through to March and even have their own ski resort, do present some interesting alternative holidays for those who don’t simply want to ‘fl y and fl op’.
www.routesonline.com
Adventure holidays
Heather Godbert, Italian programme manager at Headwater – a UK-based specialist walking, cycling and canoeing tour operator, believes that those looking for activity holidays won’t be disappointed with Sardinia. “It’s got some excellent and very diverse walking,” she says. “You can go from untouched mountains through forest trails, alongside river valleys, past prehistoric sites down to relatively unknown coastal paths, with a chance to see some great fl ora and fauna along the way, including wild horses, cork trees and oleander.”
Luigi Crisponi – the Sardinian councillor responsible for tourism – agrees, stating that adventure tourism based on walking, watersports and even horse riding is beginning to gain traction on the island. “Adventure tourism represents a huge opportunity for the development of Sardinia, [particularly as] it’s a sector where the biggest tourist fi gures are gained during low season periods,” he says. “Active
tourists are aware and responsible, with a high spending [capacity] and high cultural [standards]. Sardinia has enormous territorial and cultural resources to feed this segment. Adventure tourism guarantees regular income every month of the year and helps [build awareness of] Sardinian territories which, up to now, have been scarcely known.”
Food and wine tourism
Adventure holidays aren’t the only types that are growing in popularity on Sardinia. The island has built up a well-deserved reputation for its food and wine, which are quite distinct from mainland Italy. Chief exports include Vermentino di Sardegna – a light, citrusy white wine; the lemon- fl avoured liqueur Limoncello; and Torrone: a Sardinian version of nougat. But with local menus including more unusual delicacies such as Porcheddu – roasted suckling pig cooked with aromatic herbs – and Seada – a sweet ravioli-like dessert, fi lled with cheese and lemon rind and served with
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