Sardinia is all beautiful from north to south. Where you go depends on what you are looking for, but if you are looking for the unusual and the most authentic side of Sardinia, then you have to aim for its rocky heart.

From the villages of Oliena and Orgosolo with those beautiful and controversial murales (graffiti) to Mamoiada and its mysterious carnival masks; from the spectacular views of the supramonte of Oliena down to the woods of Gavoi, Tonara, Fonni.

And, if you still miss Sardinia’s blue waters among all this green, head for Tortoli and visit its golden beaches, or go all the way up to the Gulf of Orosei stopping every now and then to enjoy its paradise bays.

There is so much you can do and see in this area of Sardinia, trekking, hiking, visiting some incredible archaeological sites such as Tiscali - yes, this was a Sardinian site long before being a Sardinian web company!

Our last excursion included a visit to Orgosolo and an outdoor lunch with the shepherds - delicious! If you like strong cheese, fresh bread and suckling pig that is.

We also took a guided tour of the mountains (Supramonte of Orgosolo) in an off-road vehicle. It was great, the shape of the rocks, the vegetation and the animals that you can view are unbelievable.

We finally allowed ourselves some time to view the Museum of the Masks in Mamoiada and to discover more about the ancient rite of carnival here. Nothing like you can imagine. Forget about the lovely, elegant masks of the Venice carnival. Here it is a totally different story!

Plan your itinerary very well. Roads are not always very good and because of the mountains you might need to drive much longer than what you expected to cover such small distances.

Orosei is a good place to reach both stunning beaches (e.g. Cala Gonone, Cala Liberotto) and the mountains (Oliena, Orgosolo, Mamoiada and Dorgali) for day excursions.

If you are staying for at least a week, it is worth spending a few nights in a agriturismo (farm house) around here.

From Arbatax you can easily reach the beautiful costs of Tortoli, Barisardo, Santa Maria Navarrese, Baunei and head for the mountains around Tonara, Aritzo, Sorgono where, again, you should spend a few nights.

In both cases you should hire a car, although some places can be reached in the summer season with the Trenino Verde, a tourist train.

www.blog-sardinia.co.uk

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Last summer, for the first time, we hired a boat and went sailing. As Sardinians living in London we go to the island quite often but we had never hired a boat before.

We started from Cagliari and drove for one and a half hours to Portovesme where we caught a ferry to Carloforte, a small town in the island of San Pietro, 45 minutes from Sardinia. We also boarded our car and the trip was quite comfortable.

On arrival, we unloaded the car and parked it near the harbour, easy peasy! Man, that boat was something.

The morning after the real fun started, we sailed for most of the morning and the views of Carloforte and Sardinia's south-west coast were just there, like a precious frame for a priceless painting, my sea.

We stopped just on a side of Pan di Zucchero, a stunning huge surfacing rock in front of Masua bay, and stayed there swimming and diving and snorkeling.

We stayed two days more, going to hidden bays very early in the morning or during the night, fishing etc. It has been an unforgettable experience and I will definitely do it again and suggest it to the readers.

I've put more details and driving directions in our blog.
www.blog-sardinia.co.uk

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It only takes about an hour to drive from Cagliari to another not very well known but beautiful spot of Sardinia: the peninsula of Sinis, located in the Oristano Gulf on the west coast.
I have visited one of the most fascinating archaeological and panoramic sites of Sardinia, Tharros. This was a Punic, Phoenician and then Roman city located on the very tip of the Gulf of Oristano.

Nowadays, it is basically an open air museum surrounded by the sea... spectacular! You can walk around the ancient ruins and then up to the top of the promontory to the Tower of San Giovanni that dominates this site. I recall enjoying the views of the endless sea and the peace of this place from there. Even if you are not a heritage fan, you will love this.

The ticket to the site is cheap, about four euros, and also includes entrance to the museum of Cabras (not far from Tharros), where many of the objects that were discovered in Tharros are displayed.

If you want to mix culture and sunbathing, drive north to the beautiful and famous beach of 'Is Aruttas', this is a must if you are visiting in spring or summer. It is also worth taking a panoramic drive along the coast going north to enjoy the blue views. There are many other things to see and do around here so you might want to book a hotel or a farmhouse and spend some days in this area.

www.blog-sardinia.co.uk

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It only takes about an hour to drive from Cagliari to another very well known and beautiful spot of Sardinia: the peninsula of Sinis, located in the Oristano Gulf on the west coast.

I have visited one of the most fascinating archaeological and panoramic sites of Sardinia, Tharros. This was a Punic, Phoenician and then Roman city located on the very tip of the Gulf of Oristano. Nowadays, it is basically an open air
museum surrounded by the sea... spectacular! You can walk around the ancient ruins and then up to the top of the promontory to the Tower of San Giovanni that dominates this site. I recall enjoying the views of the endless sea and the peace of this place from there. Even if you are not a heritage fan, you will love this.

The ticket to the site is cheap, about 4 euro, and also includes entrance to
the museum of Cabras (not far from Tharros), where many of the objects that where discovered in Tharros are displayed.

If you want to mix culture and sunbathing, drive north to the beautiful and famous beach of 'Is Aruttas' - this is a must if you are visiting in spring or summer. It is also worth taking a panoramic drive along the coast going north to enjoy the sea views.

There are many other things to see and do around here so you might want to book an hotel or a farmhouse and spend some days in this area.

More tips about holidays in Sardinia and driving directions for Tharros in
www.blog-sardinia.co.uk

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