National Geographic Traveller (UK)
DAY TWO HISTORY & HANDICRAFTS
MORNING
Start the day with a rummage into Sardinia’s past. Much of the island’s rich archaeology dates to the Nuragic people, who lived here from 1500 BC until Roman occupation in 238 BC. There are 7,000 Nuragic sites in total, ranging from burial sites to mysterious conical towers called nuraghe, whose function isn’t known for sure, but which experts believe were temples, fortifications or rulers’ homes.
You’ll find seven sites at Arzachena (combined ticket €25 [£21] or €7 [£6] per individual site), including an extensive complex of buildings at Nuraghe La Prisgiona, and the Giants’ Tomb of Coddu Vecchiu, where the dead of La Prisgiona were buried. You can even touch the stones, enter the towers and walk in footsteps that ring through the millennia. Go early to avoid the heat of the day.
AFTERNOON
Four miles to the east is San Pantaleo, a gem of a town surrounded by jagged mountain peaks. At its heart is a square with blossom trees and a honey-stoned church, while the surrounding lanes contain shops selling artisan jewellery and paintings by local artists. There’s a buzzy cafe-bar in the square but it’s pricey, so head for a lunch of pizza or pasta at nearby Ichnos.
After lunch, it’s a 45-minute drive west to the hilly village of Aggius, which is renowned for its weavers. MEOC, the ethnographic museum, includes centuriesold looms, and explains the painstaking process of creating a carpet or wall-hanging decorated with traditional motifs. If you’re after a memento, you can buy one from the nearby workshop of Gabriella Lutzu, who’s been weaving for 35 years.
EVENING
The town of Tempio Pausania lies just a few minutes away through the hills. Three-quarters of Italy’s cork comes from Sardinia, and the area around Tempio Pausania — with its vast cork oak forests — is a major centre of production. Many shops in the town sell items made of cork, from purses to keyrings, and you can even see a collection of old cork-making equipment at the Museo Storico delle Machine del Sughero (the Cork Machinery Museum).
Tempio Pausania has elegant granite architecture, and there are several historical churches to admire (including the Purgatory Church, built in the 17th century by a local nobleman seeking absolution from the Pope for committing a massacre). For dinner, try Al Vecchio Corso, where there’s a homely vibe and simple Italian food.