Mediterranean > Sardinia > Cagliari

An Introduction to Cagliari…

Cagliari holidays are centred around the provincial capital of southern Sardinia.

With the evolution of the town over the centuries, distinct neighbourhoods have emerged, each with an ancient history and character of its own.

Just as Sardinia's calendar is littered with flamboyant festivals; religious, local and folkloric, its landscape is littered with relics of a chequered past, from Carthaginian and Roman ruins to Genoan fortifications, Spanish Baroque churches, Pisan city-state towers and several thousand nuraghi stone constructions built by the islands earliest inhabitants circa 1500BC.

Naturally the island makes the most of the beneficent Mediterranean for a mouthwatering range of seafood dishes – with lobster featuring in all its cooked forms from soup and stew to grilled and seasoned. Try the burrida fish stew – with chunks of skate and dogfish, and calamarretti alla Sarda – stuffed baby squid. Spit-roast meats feature strongly on traditional menus here, lamb and suckling pig roasted over aromatic wood fires to produce a succulent meat with a herby / smoky tang. The island prides itself on its baked breads and desserts, so those with a sweet tooth could work their way through pardulas, sebadas, candelaus and gueffus. And inexpensive island wines are the perfect complement to local cuisine. Among the best are Vernaccia, Cannonau, Oliena, Piani and the sweet Malvasia. 

Alghero is renowned for its handcrafted items in coral, and Sardinia in general is known for quality paper products made from cork. A good day’s browsing can be enjoyed in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Alghero’s open markets, cobbled lanes and pretty piazzas; the chic boutiques and up-market shops that jostle for space in Porto Cervo’s web of alleyways; the traditional town of San Pantaleo, and the several distinct districts of Cagliari.

Less crowded than the mainland beaches, Sardinia’s sumptuous selection includes Alghero’s Lido beaches Le Bombarde and Lazzaretto, Porto Conte bay and Ponticciolo, and the 8km Longa Beach – one of three glorious sweeps of sand at Isola Rossa. The world renowned Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast) boasts a series of secluded bays with some of the best around Cannigione, Cala Capra and the blissful fine sands of Baia Sardinia. In the Golfo di Cagliari area, Chia has a white sand beach reputed by many to be the best in the Mediterranean. 

Much of the sporting fun on Sardinia is based around the sea, and the waters around the island boast some of the best dive sites in Europe. Three famous shipwrecks off the south of the island make fantastic exploration grounds for experienced scuba divers, and there are several less demanding sites where novices can hone their skills. Windsurfing is available from many of Sardinia’s beaches and sailing is a top summer pastime. Several marinas welcome small craft and opulent yachts, most especially at Alghero and the 600 berth marina at Porto Cervo – which also hosts regular regattas. Landlubbers can look forward to hiking and mountain biking, horseriding (at Cala Capra), golf (tournaments at Chia & Porto Cervo), and jeep safaris into the island’s interior.

The Carlo Felice highway runs the length of the island. Minor roads, twisting and turning around the mountains, lead to little villages - which become smaller and smaller in direct proportion to the remoteness of their position. Buses are very infrequent to all but the busiest towns (some running only twice a day). So car hire would add an enjoyable dimension of freedom and convenience to your holiday wherever you stay – and a necessity in some of the more secluded spots.