Following in the footsteps of D.H. Lawrence
Cagliari, Mandas
In January 1921, the novelist D.H. Lawrence, together with his wife, made a journey through the island, taking the Cagliari-Sorgono railway (today a tourist line, the Little Green Train) and scheduled coach services. He described his journey through Sardinia in a book that is also a fascinating ethnographic document. Today, the same journey can be repeated using the same means of transport (the train journey remains a fascinating experience) or by car.
Journey length: 64 km
Road travel time: 1h 9’
Read the book
D. H. Lawrence, Sea and Sardinia
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Where the moon is mirrored in sacred waters
The well temples at Santa Vittoria at Serri, of Sant’Anastasia at Sardara and Santa Cristina at Paulilatino are the best preserved and most extraordinary architectural remains of their kind on Sardinia where, during the second half of the II century BC Nuragic people engaged in religious rites that remain a mystery. The alignment of the temples with the moon and stars offers proof that 4,000 years ago these people already had a keen understanding of astronomy.
Journey length: 115 km
Road travel time: 1 h 44 min
Costantino Nivola, a bridge between Barbagia and America
One of the greatest Sardinian artists of all time 'lives again' in the land where he was born and brought up (Orani and Nuoro), before he became internationally acclaimed
Journey length: 23 km
Road travel time: 24’
From Orune to Galtellì with Grazia Deledda
Orune, Galtellì
This literary trail touches on the places described by novelist Grazia Deledda, one of the foremost Sardinian writers and winner of the Nobel prize for literature in 1926.
Journey length: 18 km
Road travel time: 46 min
Cagliari’s historic quarters
Castello, Marina, Stampace, Villanova
Journey length: 4 km
Road travel time: 15 min
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Video
Shapes and colours of the northern romanesque tradition
A common thread runs through Romanesque-Pisan architecture and style between three lovely old basilicas in northern Sardinia, all built within few decades but with different histories: Santissima Trinità in Saccargia in the countryside around Codrongianos, Nostra Signora del Regno in Ardara and Sant’Antioco di Bisarcio in the Ozieri area.
Journey length: 34.5 km
Road travel time: 42 min
Birdwatching in the kingdom of the pink flamingos
From Sarrabus to the Cagliari hinterland, through the extreme south-east of the Island and the Golfo degli Angeli, there are four invaluable examples of environmental heritage, rich in biodiversity and protected at various levels (Sites of Community Importance (SCI), Special Conservation Areas (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA), included in the Natura 2000 network), offering unique splendour: the pink flamingo taking flight with a fiery sunset in the background, the courtship ‘dance’ of the black-winged stilt and the glassworts, rushes and marram grasses swaying in the wind, moments not to be missed at the special observation points or while walking along the paths in the parks.
Itinerary: 127 kilometres
Road journey time: 2 hours and 15 minutes for the various journeys
Diving ancient wreck sites
From Cagliari to Carloforte, along the south-western coast of Sardinia to explore the shipwrecks that rest in the clear water of the sea. The Golfo degli Angeli has always been a safe haven for ancient civilizations as they sailed around the island, often battling for control over the sea. The gulf has also been the theatre of world wars, and a variety of shipwrecks rest on the seabed, one of the many aspects that make the underwater environment in this corner of the Mediterranean such a special place.
Driving time: 140 km
Route: 2h 45’
Carasau: the shepherds’ bread
From Dorgali to Oliena and Gavoi, the aroma of the ancient ovens
Road travel time: 1h 11’
Journey length: 66 km
Ancient codes and precious frescoes
In the territory that once belonged to the giudicato (reign) of the Torres clan in the north-western corner of the island are some of the most elaborate expressions of Sardinian Romanesque architecture: two in the Logudoro-Meilogu, the former cathedral of San Pietro di Sorres in Borutta and the church of San Nicola di Trullas in the small town of Semestene, as well as another former cathedral in Bosa, Planargia’s main town: San Pietro extra muros, just outside the walls of the picturesque town, along the banks of the Temo river.
Journey length: 58 km
Road travel time: 1 h