Sardegna Off The Beaten Path

  The chiesa in the main street
by iandsmith
 
  • The chiesa in the main street
      The chiesa in the main street
    by iandsmith
  • Pasqualino
      Pasqualino
    by JennysTravels
  • One of the areas they ride.
      One of the areas they ride.
    by JennysTravels
  • Man with pigs
      Man with pigs
    by iandsmith
  • The main corner in San Pantaleo
      The main corner in San Pantaleo
    by iandsmith
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Orgosolo

by iandsmith

I'd never heard of the place to be honest but it was recommended by the enthusiastic receptionist our accommodation house so off we went.Little did we know that our trip coincided with their annual three day festival in October when local goods are proudly displayed.This oversize village hangs its fame on its murals and there are plenty to see. Though many originally were done in Picasso style and echoed the famous artist's political views; these days there are a variety of works on show.Otherwise, there'd be very little reason to visit this place other than it being on a lovely scenic route around the mountains of middle Sardegna.However, there's over 200 of them and it would certainly challenge even the discerning tourist such a myself to claim that they've seen all of them.Here is a sampling of what you might see though. I've tried to cover some of the varying styles on offer.

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La Fortezza di Monte Altura

by iandsmith

I did but see it passing by and wondered why there were no tourists here, just a few kilometres west of Palau.Turns out that it's a military site (no surprises there), and the today empty gun emplacements from WWII bear testimony to its relatively recent use. This castle of just over a century ago (1890-1891) is in such good condition it looks like it was built less than a year ago but sadly I was there during siesta.In fact, as indicated by the detailed sign (sadly on in Italian), there is a lot of interest.There are also excellent views over the surrounding landscape though while I was there the weather wasn't very helpful.I've listed this under "off the beaten path" but it's right on a sealed thoroughfare but, so there's no problem driving though if you keep going you'll end up in a resort and can go no further.Open - April/May 9-noon and 3-6 June-Aug 9-noon and 5-8 Sept-mid Oct...

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Park of San Lorenzo

by iandsmith

Where the Rinaggia has its source is where the park is. This splendid park is worth taking time out for.I came to the dead end street where it is situated and took a short break to check it out. There's also another nice park just back on the other side of the hill where we also went for a walk and it has lovely views over the surrounding landscape (pic 5).These are places where the population of around 14,000 can relax.

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Mores

by iandsmith

This place is not so much a destination as somewhere you might be driving through.....as I was.One couldn't help but notice the exceptional (and exceptionally large) mural painting on the side of a building so I had to pull up and record it.Mores is in the north central part of Sardinia, east of Sassari and south of Tempio Pausania.

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Oschiri

by iandsmith

Oschiri is a pleasant fairly typical Sardinian town with a central piazza and church and just out of town is the Romanesque "Chiesa di San Demetrio".The main church in the middle of the town is only just over 100 years old, fairly recent by Italian standards. It's called Chiesa Parrocchiale B.V. Immacolata and is set at one end of a piazza.During my brief time in the town I have to say I saw little else that made me say "wow" and want to stop. Then again, I was on my way to Padria that day.Nearby, you can either reach Lago Coghinas by taking the dramatic winding mountain road from Tempio Pausania over Monte Limbara with its peak at Punta Balistreri (1359m). Alternatively it is a peaceful spot to break the journey from Sassari or Oristano to Olbia (off the SS597). This artificial lake was created in 1927 and is the largest in Sassari and second largest in Sardinia.

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San Pantaleo

by iandsmith

This village developed around the rural church dedicated to San Pantaleo; celebrations in honour of the Saint take place from the 27th to the 30th of July with a mixture of shows, dances and traditional music. The hamlet went almost unnoticed by tourists until the 1960s’, when the boom of the Emerald Coast and in particular the increasing popularity of the near Porto Cervo have led to the discovery of this quiet spot by tourists and international artists who have set their home here. San Pantaleo remains a quirky rural place popular with those tourists after a relaxing and authentic Sardinian holiday. Every Tuesday the village comes to life with the street market on the square, where you will find stalls with absolutely everything, from the most tasteful souvenirs to precious rarities.To get there, from Olbia take national route SS 125 and after 7 kilometres turn right following the sign...

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Nuraghe Longu

by iandsmith

I was waiting to get into the museum and saw the signs so I thought I might wile away some time and have a look. The walkway to it was lovely, going through some nice forest but, having seen other sites previously, the main tower was interesting but the site itself was neglected and lacked the other buildings associated with similar villages.

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Padria

by iandsmith

The poster was beautifully produced. The archeological artifact stood out on the glossy background and called to me to come and have a look at the real thing.Padria was where it was located and there was a museum there. Though it was nearly two hours distant we made plans but, due to a late departure and my endless need for photography, we arrived around 1 o'clock.Padria is not a large town and the few people who were there didn't speak English. Despite this I eventually found the museum. Chiuso (closed). It was siesta time. Silly me. Never mind, we went elsewhere to get some lunch and made sure we were back at 3 p.m. when it re-opened. Trouble was, it didn't reopen. We pleaded with locals and they said that the key was held at the local council building just across the street. Unfortunately, as they looked across it was obvious that it was currently undergoing repairs so it, too, was...

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Day of the festival

by iandsmith

The day we were there it was simply humming. In addition to cars there were motorhomes, a biker club based in Rome, buses of many hues and even cyclists (from Germany, where else).Apparently the festival runs for three days with the accent on home grown or manufactured products.The first lady we met (pic 2) was obviously upset that I'd just shot her husband, raped her children and burnt down her house........actually, all she was doing was explaining that the locals had done all the art work on display. I told her to be quiet and give me another meringue...they were delicious!After checking out some local artworks we headed towards main street, drifting along with the flow of the crowd. We came upon people roasting nuts, selling local biscuits, sweets that could have come from anywhere but, the best of all was this man cooking the pigs, all 32 of them. This turned out to be quite an...

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Torre dei Corsari

by coolapaddy

We stayed 1 week in Torre dei Corsari at Brezza Marina apartment.While being a quiet place with a very nice golden sand beach, it's only 30 minutes drive from the SS131 motorway.It's a convenient spot to explore the Costa Verde and the west part of Sardegna in general.Don't miss the panorama at the top of the 100 ft sand dune.

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Reviews and photos of Sardegna attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Sardegna sightseeing.

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Off The Beaten Path: Cities in Sardegna
  1. Alghero Off The Beaten Path
  2. Càgliari Off The Beaten Path
  3. Sassari Off The Beaten Path
  4. Costa Smeralda Off The Beaten Path
  5. Chia Off The Beaten Path
  6. Palau Off The Beaten Path
  7. Isola Maddalena Off The Beaten Path
  8. Calasetta Off The Beaten Path
  9. Arzachena Off The Beaten Path
  10. Trinità d'Agultu Off The Beaten Path
  11. Nuoro Off The Beaten Path
  12. Porto Conte Torre Nuova Off The Beaten Path
  13. Carloforte Off The Beaten Path

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Hello, I have booked flights into Olbia in May, and am now looking for recommendations for where to spend my 5 days in... 

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A: I've been there a couple of times, there's not much 'cheap' - if it costs a little, you get a little. it's also better have a car to go among the coast and inside the... 

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