Destination Sardinia

Sardinia is one of the most geologically ancient bodies of land in Europe. Though evidence of human visits date from the Palaeolithic period, permanent settlements only appear much later in the Neolithic age, around 6000 BC. The first people to settle in northern Sardinia probably came from the Italian mainland via Corsica, particularly from Etruria (present-day Tuscany).

• Discover Sardinia Guides A-Z

» Discover Alghero

The area of today's Alghero has been settled since pre-historic times. The so-called Ozieri culture was present here in the 4th millennium BCE while the Nuraghe civilization was present in the area around 1500 BCE, as traces of Phoenician buildings have been found not far from the city …

» Discover Cagliari

An ancient city with a long history, Cagliari has seen the rule of several civilizations. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia (which in 1861 became the Kingdom of Italy) from 1324 to 1720 and from 1798 to 1815. The city is an important regional cultural, educational, political and artistic centre, known for its diverse Art Nouveau architecture and several monuments …

» Neptune's Grotto

Neptune's Grotto is a stalactite cave near the town of Alghero on the island of Sardinia, Italy. The cave was discovered by local fishermen in the 18th century and has since developed into a popular tourist attraction. The grotto gets its name from the Roman god of the sea, Neptune …

» Nereo Cave

The Nereo Cave is a huge underwater sea-cave situated on the north-west of Sardinia in the Coral riviera of Alghero, Italy. The name was given by the discovers in honour of the mythological figure Nereus, who is often billed as the Old Man of the Sea, father of the Nereids. The site is under the high limestone cliffs of Capo Caccia, 100 metres north of the famous Neptune's Grotto …

» Discover Olbia

Olbia is a town and comune in northeastern Sardinia, in the Gallura sub-region. Called Olbia in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle Ages and Terranova Pausania before the 1940s, Olbia was again the official name of the town after the period of Fascism. It is the economic centre of this part of the island and is very close to the famous Costa Smeralda tourist area …

» Discover Santo Stefano

Santo Stefano is an island in the Maddalena archipelago of northern Sardinia, Italy, and part of the Maddalena National Park. It is largely uninhabited and it is mainly known for its hosting of a NATO Naval Base and Italian Navy munitions magazines Apart from the military, the only residences on the island is a tourist resort, Club valtur, which is largely occupied only during the summer months …

» Discover Sassari

Although Sassari was founded in the early Middle Ages, the surrounding area has been inhabited since the Neolithic age, and throughout ancient history, by the Nuragics and the Romans. Many archaeological sites and ancient ruins are located inside or around the town, as the prehistoric step pyramid of Monte d'Accoddi, a large number of Nuraghes and Domus de Janas (Fairy Houses), the ruins of a Roman aqueduct …

» Supramonte

The Supramonte is an area of mountains and highlands located in central-eastern Sardinia, Italy. It lies northeast of the Gennargentu massif, spanning eastwards until it reaches the Tyrrenian See in the Gulf of Orosei. It has an extension of about 35,000 hectares, encompassing most of the territories of the comuni (municipalities) of Baunei, Dorgali, Oliena, Orgosolo, and Urzulei …

» Discover Villasimius

Villasimius is a comune in the Province of Cagliari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 35 km east of Cagliari. Due to its strategically important site, Villasimius' territory was inhabited since prehistoric times, as testified by nuraghe (19th-6th centuries BC), Phoenician-Carthaginian (7th-2nd centuries BC) and Roman (3rd century BC-6th century AD) remains …

• Ancient Sites of Sardinia

» Giant's Grave, Dorgali

Giant's Grave is the name given by local people and archaeologists to a type of Sardinian megalithic gallery grave built during the Bronze Age by the Nuragic civilization. They can be found throughout Sardinia, and so far 321 have been discovered. A stone cairn lies over the burial chamber itself. Some examples have a cup-shaped entrance similar to the court cairn tombs of Ireland …

» Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d'Accoddi is an archaeological site in northern Sardinia, between Sassari and Porto Torres. It is the site of a megalithic structure dated to around 2700-2000 BC and discovered in 1954. The structure has a base of 27 m by 27 m and probably reached a height of 5.5 m. It culminated in a platform of about 12.5 m by 7.2 m, accessible via a ramp. It has been variously described as an altar, a temple or a step pyramid …

» Nuraghe

The Nuraghe is the main type of ancient megalithic edifice found in Sardinia, likely developed during the Nuragic Age between 1900-730 BC. Today it has come to be the symbol of Sardinia and its distinctive culture, the Nuragic civilization. The typical nuraghe is situated in areas where previous Prehistoric Sardinians Cultures had been distributed, that is not far from alluvial plains …

» Su Nuraxi di Barumini

Su Nuraxi is a nuragic archaeological site in Barumini, Sardinia, Italy. It was inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997 as Su Nuraxi di Barumini. Su Nuraxi simply means 'the nuraghe' in Campidanese, the southern variant of Sardinian. The complex is centred around a three-storey tower built around the 16th century BC …

» Temple of Antas

The Temple of Antas is an ancient Carthaginian-Roman temple in the commune of Fluminimaggiore, southern Sardinia, Italy. It is located in an area colonized by the Carthaginians and then by the Romans, attracted by its iron and lead deposits. It consists of a Roman temple, under whose steps are the remains of the Carthaginian one, which was dedicated to the god Sid Addir …

» Tharros

Tharros was an ancient city on the west coast of Sardinia, Italy, and is currently an archaeological site near the village of San Giovanni di Sinis, in the Province of Oristano. It is located on the southern shores of the Sinis peninsula, that forms the northern cape of the Bay of Oristano, the cape of San Marco. Tharros, mentioned by Ptolemy and in the Itineraries, seems to have been one of the most important places on the island …