Dreaming about the Italian islands of Sardinia and Sicily

Italy isn’t just about the mainland – the islands of Sardinia and Sicily are unique culture and cuisine. Rougher around the edges – less style more substance. Sicily and Sardinia are the largest islands in the Mediterranean an like all of Italy, they ooze history, colourful festivals and traditions. The islands have thousands of miles of beautiful beaches, so are perfect if you really want to relax and enjoy some sunshine.

Sardinia for All

Sardinia holidays offer something for just about everyone. The island has a warm, sunny climate with long summers. Typically, it is dry and quite hot from May to October with temperatures typically around 30C in July and August. It’s also lovely if you crave a little sunshine to break up a cold winter, particularly in March and April, when the spring flowers are in bloom, or the autumn when the days are still warm.

For history buffs, there’s lots to look at. Wander through some of the mysterious stone dwellings or nuraghi which date back some 3,500 years to add some ancient flavour to your Sardinia holiday, or spot the Roman influence on the buildings in the towns. Alghero has a lovely walled city, with cobbled streets and lookout towers in the ramparts.

If you want to rub shoulders with the jet-set, head to Costa Smeralda where you might bump into George Clooney and his girlfriend, Elisabetta Canalis (she’s originally from the island), or footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. There are private jet and helicopter services to this part of the island which is all rather posh and exclusive. Conversely, if you want to get away for it all complete you can head for the unspoiled beaches to the south. The turquoise sea and deserted beaches give a jaded body the perfect opportunity to forget everything and simply ‘be’.

And for foodies, Sardinia’s cuisine provides plenty of variety. Influenced by its neighbours, Italy and Corsica, the food is hearty and delicious. Recipes and ingredients vary from town to town with coastal menus bursting with seafood. Lobster, king prawns and octopus grace the tables here, along with just about every Mediterranean fish you can think of. Head inland for carnivore heaven with dishes such as spit-roasted suckling pig, rabbit dishes and lamb. A speciality, sanguinaccio, is a kind of sweet black pudding, studded with currants served roasted or boiled. Sardinian wines are also extremely good, so enjoy a glass or two with your meal.

Citrus-y Sicily

Sicily holidays are also full of lipsmacking food and cultural treasures. The island is packed full of archeology, history and folklore – you can immerse yourself in a different world here. Exploring its blend of European, African and Asian cultures is truly delightful, with more than enough temples and ancient amphitheatres to please the most budding of historians. At Agrigento, there’s a large archeological site surrounded by olive groves and almond trees, picture perfect for strolling around. And Mount Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano, dominates the skyline in the north east – you’ll see it glowing in the evenings.

Along the coasts you’ll spot orchards of orange and lemon trees, which perfume the air in spring, and are used in many of the local dishes. Sicilian lemons or citron as they are sometimes known, are renowned for being large and juicy, but can be knobbly or shaped like strange sea creatures. Don’t be put off as their flavour is superb, so make the most of them while you’re there – try them in a simple pasta dish with lots of fresh herbs or savour a granite – a kind of slushy mix of ice and fruit juice – tangy, refreshing and delicious all in one!

And make sure to try the classic Sicilian dish, caponata. Served as an appetizer, this mix of aubergine, olives and capers really captures the essence of the Mediterranean diet. All along the coast, you’ll find the freshest seafood, including swordfish and a local delicacy cuttlefish served in its ink on pasta.

More Mediterranean dreams

Swimming in river pools in Sardinia
A prehistoric village with a sea view in Sardinia
Sea caves and a boat trip in Sardinia

My thanks for this sponsored post, written by Belinda Weber, to Italy holidays specialist Citalia.

Photo credits: Cliffside sunset in Sardinia by christophe mallet, Agrigento, Sicily by pacamanca

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Explore the smaller islands of Sardinia

If you’re planning your Sardinia holiday, this article will inspire you to explore some of the smaller and unspoilt islands off the coast of Sardinia, such as the pink sand beach at Budelli, the old town of Calloforte on San Pietro, and the former prison of Mafia bosses on Asinara.

Sardinia is the second biggest Italian island after Sicily. You can easily recognize it as it’s the one that is foot-shaped, which is why it was once called Ichnusa (from the Greek Ichnion meaning track or footstep). Ichnusa has also become the name of the regional beer, which you can’t really miss tasting once here!

The island has a strategic position in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and has a varied inner geography, as well as more than 30 smaller islands surrounding the mainland. Most of these islands are very tiny and uninhabited, while the biggest ones have at least one populated centre and always a particular story. Let’s discover the most important minor islands in Sardinia….

La Maddalena Archipelago: Maddalena and Caprera islands

This is the most popular Sardinian Archipelago, well known around the world for the beauty and singularity of its beaches and waters. The Archipelago is part of the National Park and is a well loved tourist location. The main island of the Archipelago is La Maddalena, while Caprera Island is popular for having hosted the Italian general and hero Giuseppe Garibaldi during his exile and until his death in 1882. You can find the Museum dedicated to him, called the “Hero of two Worlds” for his expeditions both in Europe and South America. If you are on holidays here,don’t miss visiting the spectacular pink beach, on Budelli Island.

Sulcis Archipelago: Sant Antioco and San Pietro islands

Located in south-western Sardinia, the archipelago has two main islands: Sant’Antioco (108 Km2, connected to the mainland by an artificial stretch of land) and San Pietro (51 Km2). San Pietro’s unique centre is Carloforte, a small jewel and much appreciated tourist resort.

Carloforte has been listed among “the best Italian municipalities” and has a linguistic and cultural particularity: the island was colonized in 1738 by Ligurian people who introduced their dialect and habits. The language people speak today comes directly from Ligurian and has literally nothing to do with Sardinian language! Carloforte is a very charming locationwhere you can enjoy the old town, the small beaches with clear blue sea and a delicious plate of Spaghetti alla Carlofortina (Carloforte style) with fresh tuna (a typical local product), pesto and cherry tomatoes.

Asinara Island

Devils’s island, as it was called in the past, is today a true corner of paradise. Asinara is found in the northern part of Sardinia and was closed to the public from 1885 to 1997. It has been health quarantine station, prison camp during World War I and finally maximum-security prison in the 70s, hosting a few Mafia bosses. This isolation enabled to preserve its natural beauty, which is today finally safeguarded as Asinara has been declared National Park and can be visited only by following authorized paths and procedures.

Visiting some of the smaller islands off Sardinia will enable you to get in touch with a unique and unspoilt aspect of Sardinia.

This sponsored post is by Giulia Garau, an Italian travel lover living in Sardinia. She works in tourism field for the travel agency CharmingSardinia.com, which deals with Sardinia Holidays. She also runs the blog CharmingItaly.com, where she shares information about Italy.

Photo Credits: Scoglio di Pan di Zuchero by monastereo, Calaforte on San Pietro by chaz 77, San Antioco beach in Sardinia by Giulia Garau, Pink beach La Maddalena by lamaddalenapark

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

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Five peaceful sights to enjoy in Rome

If you need to find some space and quiet in Rome, that busiest of capitals, my Guest post from Marie Allen of Elegant Resorts will help you seek out some blissfully peaceful bolt holes in Rome.

Ah, Rome – The Eternal City. A city where history seeps from every pore, a city where your camera never sleeps, and where beauty and passion, as Barry Manilow said, are always in fashion (true, he was talking about the Copacabana – but the same could be said for Rome’s seething street life, and its sultry procession of latter-day Lollobrigidas. But for all its beauty, the Eternal City does have its drawbacks – put simply, its eternal racket!

Yes, when in Rome you have to see the must-see sights. But don’t slavishly cross them off your list in a succession of exhausting cross-city escapades. Take time to seek out the quieter cul-de-sacs and secret sanctuaries. This is, after all, a spiritual heartland. So stop. Take time out. And spend a stolen hour or two in the city’s back waters. Your soul will thank you. And your soles too, for that matter!

Here are five off-the-beaten-track sights worth seeking out:

Views and more from Janiculum Hill

Janiculum Hill overlooks the modern city of Rome, and it’s here you’ll find the less-visited Syriac Sanctuary. They say this was a sinister spot – dedicated to the Goddess Furrina, ruler of the Furies. In other words, not someone you’d want to mess with. Perhaps that’s why, when this peaceful site was discovered 100 years ago, they found remains of human skulls without teeth or lower jaws. Still, today, it’s a splendid spot. The Janiculum Hill affords stunning views over the city – and the Fontana dell’Acqua Paola is a suitably baroque 17th century fountain worth seeking out.

Underground mystery at Livenza Hypgeum

Behind a workaday storefront of an oil-splattered city garage and, and through a nondescript metal door off bustling Via Salaria is an underground mystery, that Italian scholars are still trying to make sense of. This subterranean place of worship is adorned with colourful mosaics and elaborate frescoes, and it’s known as the Livenza Hypgeum (Via Livenza). The scenes lent weight to the theory that this monument was a place of worship for the Baptai — those immersed in water (from where we get the word Baptism from). But this strange, nocturnal cult was known for its debauchery and orgies. Still, today, there’s none of that here. Just peace, silence and an air of mystery.

Hidden treasures at Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia

Rome has scores of hidden, out of the way museums – you’d expect nothing less for a city with 26 centuries of history to plunder – and one of the most delightful is the Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia. A beautiful 16th century villa, built for Pope Julius II, and now home to a stunning display of Etruscan art and artifacts – pre Roman treasures. Especially worth seeking out is the museum’s delicate collection of jewellery, vases and votive statues. Far grander are its marble statues of Roman Gods – Apollo and Hercules. A little-visited gem, some way out of the centre, on the Vigna Vecchia, the old city walls ( 9 Piazzale di Villa Giulia )

English poets at the Keats-Shelley House

At the foot of the tourist-magnet of the Spanish Steps, you’d expect any visitor attraction to be animated and bustling. Not so. The delightfully airy and empty Keats-Shelley House (26 Piazza di Spagna) is a wonderfully cool and silent 18th century palazetto, faithfully restored to resemble the home of British poet, John Keats, who died in 1821. Byron, Shelly, Browning and many other poets stayed here – and you can imagine them passing the time in the palazetto’s graceful salons: in fact, many of their letters and manuscripts are on display.

Fountains and terraces at Villa Medici Gardens

Rome’s parks and gardens offer a pleasing counterpoint to the rattle and hum of the city’s ever-busy streets. Our favourite are the Villa Medici Gardens – an enchanting retreat on the Pincio Hill, covering around 17 acres of glorious terraces, splashing fountains, elegant and rare specimen trees from across the globe and clipped, formal lawns and borders. Henry James called them the most delightful in the world. On a summer’s day it would be hard to argue. (Viale Trinità dei Monti, 1)

Thanks for this guest post to Marie Allen of luxury holiday company Elegant Resorts for letting us in on Rome’s quieter corners. When I visited Rome  a couple of years ago I did find the crowds at all the major sites offputting – next time I’ll be seeking out some of these hidden gems instead.

If this has inspired you to visit Rome then visit our Elegant Resort’s luxury holidays in Italy page for further details.

Photo Credits : View from Janiculum Hill in Rome by YuKengShih , Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia in Rome by   Koji Yatani , Fontana dell’Acqua Paola in Rome by  Mark Turner The Keats-Shelley House in Rome by frattaglia , Villa Medici Gardens in Rome by NoBigShot

More Rome articles to enjoy

The view from the dome of St Peter’s – in Rome
Chiesa Santa Maria in Trastevere – in Rome
Gelato on the island in the Tiber

www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels’ Rome – colisseum and forum photoset

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

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