An Imaginary Trip to Sardinia: A Sensorial Experience

Follow Giulia Garau on a journey to Sardinia through your five senses.

Cala Mariolu © asibiri on Flickr CC BY 2.0

Written by Giulia Garau

Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Sardinia looks like a large footprint. Sardinian people are known for their proud and mistrustful nature, but also for their hospitality: guests are sacred, treated with great warmth and respect. Let me lead you to discover Sardinia in the simplest existing way: through our five senses. This is the best way to enjoy Sardinia in its totality. Just take a little time, relax and enjoy your reading!

SIGHT

Dunes of Piscinas © perledivetro on Flickr

Sardinia is one of the less populated Italian regions and preserves unique and pristine landscapes. The dunes of Piscinas, the Sardinian desert, are the highest in Europe (they reach up to 100 meters), and the wide Gennargentu Mountains offers the chance to visit unspoilt landscapes and to admire endemic animal species. Of course, a beautiful view is also done by the beaches and the sea, for which the Island has become popular all over the world.

HEARING

Gruppo Folk “Città di Quarto” © cristianocani on Flickr

The music plays an important role in Sardinian culture. You can hear the folk music in every town festival, accompanied by the typical popular dances; very popular is the Cantu a Tenore, which has been classed among intangible world heritage by Unesco. The typical instrument which usually accompanies the dances is the Launeddas, consisting in three pipes and played using circular breathing.

TOUCH

Punta S'Arena

When I’m lying on the beach, I like the sand slipping through my fingers. In Sardinia there are both rocky hidden coves and large sandy beaches. Some beaches are very appreciated because of the whiteness and thinness of the sand, which is like flour. You can find them for example in Siniscola (Nuoro), Lido di Orrì (Ogliastra), Su Giudeu (Cagliari). Another beach I like is Is Arenas, in Oristano area, called the grains of rice beach thanks to the small grains of coloured quartz.

SMELL

Strawberry Tree © cristianocani on Flickr

What strikes the most are the smells of the vegetation, which you can smell everywhere, in large part characterized by the Mediterranean maquis: holm oaks, cork oaks, juniper trees as well as strawberry trees, myrte, cistus. Typical of rocky territories are also helichrysum and broom, while in non-rocky territories you can frequently see cistus, rosemary and mastic trees. The symbol flower of Sardinia is the wild peony.

TASTE

Sardinian Sweets © cristianocani on Flickr

The forced isolation over the centuries, due to the geographic position, enabled to preserve the ancient gastronomic traditions by using fresh and genuine products. Sardinian people use darum weath semolina to produce many varieties of pasta and bread, like the famous Malloreddus (typical pasta), Pane Carasau (typical thin bread). Starters are very important in Sardinian culinary culture, so people often open the meal with olives or a tasty piece of matured cheese. There is a large variety of sweets and cookies, many of them prepared with almonds; another common ingredient is the Sapa (cooked grape must syrup). The meals are accompanied by a large variety of regional wines, resulting from an ancient wine tradition (Cannonau, Vermentino, Nepente), and by very appreciated liquors (like Mirto — myrte liquor).

Giulia Garau works for Charming Sardinia Luxury Hotels, a travel agency based in Sardinia. She is a travel lover and writes for the blog www.charmingitaly.com, where she shares tips, information, suggestions and curiosities about Italian culture, traditions, and events.