In Sardinia, Italian charm meets Caribbean vibes

DW (English)

With turquoise seas and white-sand beaches, Sardinia is Italy’s island escape. We explore its stunning coastlines, local dishes, and rich culture.

Transcript

00:00Okay, there are pine trees instead of palm trees and you can't swim year-round.

00:06But if you come at the right time of year, you'll find an almost endless choice of

00:10beautiful beaches that slope gently into the water.

00:21I think the best time to travel here is the low season, either May to mid-June or September

00:26to mid-October.

00:27It's nice and quiet here then, and the water is also more beautiful.

00:33It has the most amazing colours.

00:37In the high season, Sardinia is totally overcrowded.

00:43Anyone who has the opportunity to hop on a boat in Sardinia is in for a treat.

00:48The island is a paradise for water sports and sailing enthusiasts, just like the Caribbean.

00:53Boats can be chartered everywhere.

00:55One of the many small harbour towns is La Caleta in the west.

00:59There's also a sailing club here.

01:01Giovanni Luzzo is its president.

01:04With around 2,000 kilometres of coastline, Luzzo says you can circumnavigate it by sailboat

01:09in around 20 to 25 days.

01:12Sailing enthusiasts love it.

01:15Mainly because the weather is great here and there's always wind.

01:19That's why it's a paradise for sailors.

01:23It's a popular stop on sailboat trips around the Mediterranean.

01:32I'm travelling all around the Mediterranean, and I'm doing all the islands, Balearia, Sardinia,

01:38Corsica, Sicilia.

01:40I'm from Brazil.

01:42Our waters are not so clear like these here, and this is very beautiful.

01:49But Sardinia has more to offer than just the coastline.

01:52The interior of the second-largest island in the Mediterranean is mountainous with rather

01:57sparse vegetation.

01:59Although you won't find rainforests or palm trees like in the Caribbean, many ancient

02:03cultures have left their mark here.

02:06These towers, called nuraghi, are typical of Sardinia.

02:09They date back to prehistoric times.

02:14There are over 7,000 of these nuraghi in Sardinia, probably more like 8,000 or even a lot more.

02:21A typical nuraghi has a conical tower.

02:25From those towers, they were able to monitor the island and the surrounding area, and people

02:31in those towers could maintain visual contact from one to the next.

02:37The nuraghi, called la prisjona in the northwest of the island, was occupied between the 14th

02:43and 8th centuries BC.

02:46These buildings bear witness to the ancient settlement of the island and the important

02:50role Sardinia must have played in the Mediterranean back then.

02:55These stone circles become ever more narrow towards the top, and the structure is capped

03:00with a single stone.

03:02The tower is 7 meters tall.

03:04The beehive-shaped ceiling is called the tolos.

03:08The capped stone at the top no longer serves a load-bearing role.

03:14Back on the coast, what culinary delights are there to discover in Sardinia?

03:19Back in the Caribbean, you'll find plenty of seafood, but with a Sardinian twist, like

03:24this pasta cooked like risotto and served with Sardinian wine, Vementino.

03:37Fish has only been available here since the 1920s and 1930s, when fishermen came here

03:42from Naples and settled in small villages.

03:46They brought their fishing traditions from the Gulf of Naples with them.

03:50Although the sea here was full of fish, before the fishermen arrived, hardly anyone caught

03:54fish here.

03:58Sardinians were traditionally shepherds and farmers.

04:03Our conclusion?

04:05When it comes to the sea and the beaches, there really are many similarities between

04:09Sardinia and the Caribbean.

04:13But when it comes to history, traditions and cuisine, the differences are huge.

04:17So it's worth traveling to both places.

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