Sardinia has a different vibe than the rest of Italy. With its rich history and even now being one of the five autonomous regions of Italy, it holds more secrets and interesting facts than any other island. Read on to find out more.
One of the Blue Zones
Sardinia has an incredible life expectancy. It belongs to the Blue Zones of the world, which are regions of the world thought to have a higher than usual number of people living much longer than average.
In 2020, it has the highest rate of centenarians in the world, together with the island of Okinawa in Japan: 22 centenarians per 100,000 inhabitants.
Species are thriving on the island
Found on the island are more than 300 unique species of plants. There are around 2,400 different kinds of plants in Sardinia altogether from which 322 are unique to the island itself and can’t be found anywhere else. The landscapes of the island vary greatly as you travel around. The diversity is unbelievable.
And let’s not forget the 54 different species of spiders. It might not be a fun facts, but is worth mentioning.
In general, Sardinia has very rich wildlife, with 60 Wildlife Reserves (about 25% of the island is a wildlife reserve). There are plenty of wild animals to see, like flamingos, vultures, red deers, wild horses, and even dolphins!
Pink flamingos have lived in Sardinia for generations, to the point that Sardinian folk calls them “Sa Genti Arrubia” which in dialect means “red people”. The most famous and easily accessible place to find them is Molentargius, just off Poetto Beach in Cagliari.
A heavy producer of cork
Sardinia produces 20,000 tons of cork every year, all carved from the cork oaks. This represents 80% of the Italian production and not all stays in Italy as about 40% of the cork is exported. It’s interesting to mention that they use the cork not only for wine corks, but a variety of products is being made like shoes, baseballs, music instruments, handbags, wallets, and more. What I liked most that is produced from the cork is the art.
If you want to remember Sardinia then buying something made from cork is the perfect souvenir.
One of the deepest canyons in Europe
I am talking here about the Su Gorropu, which is one of the deepest canyons you can find in Europe.
The Gorropu canyon is very narrow, and is only 4 meters (13 feet) wide at some points. Not really for you if you don’t like narrow spaces. Can become pretty claustrophobic.
When talking about the height, the highest point goes up to 450 meters (1,476 feet) from the base of the canyon.
If you plan to travel around the island, that is for sure a must-see destination.
For more information visit the official website of the canyon here – link.
Wild albino donkeys
One of the most interesting facts about Sardinia are the wild albino donkeys that you can encounter on a small island north of Sardinia called Asinara, which is now also a National Park and Marine Reserve.
It is home to over 120 albino donkeys truly living freely in the wild.
Caves, caves and more caves
Sardinia is full of caves and there are over 300 caves on the island. They are mostly located on the coast of Sardinia and can be explored, either by foot, with ropes or swimming or the combinations of all. The most famous one is the Grotta di Nettuno (Neptune’s Grotto), which formed around 2 million years ago and goes now for 4km (2.5 miles). Inside the cave, you can find a sandy beach and even a lake.
The red gold of the Mediterranean Sea
It is the red coral which is Sardinia rich in, especially in Alghero often called the city of the red coral or as the Coral Riviera. The red coral has been used for thousands of years to make fine jewelry and makes a perfect gift or souvenir when visiting Sardinia and Alghero in particular.
The highest mountain in Sardina is Punta La Marmora
Sardinia has plenty of mountains, in fact, they make for about 13% of the island, but there is always only one that is the tallest one. In this case, Sardinia’s tallest mountain is the Punta La Marmora at 1,834m (6,017 feet) and is part of the Gennargentu Ranges.
Questionable local delicacy
The Sardinian delicacy we talk about here is the Casu Marzu, a rotten cheese with live maggots. Yes, you are reading it right.
Casu Marzu is a traditional dish from Sardinia, and it’s a cheese made from sheep milk. It is made from a normal cheese (Pecorino), then cut open and left outside for a few weeks to attract flies. The flies lay their eggs in the cheese, and after a while, the maggots hatch and begin to eat the cheese.
The cheese needs to be eaten with the live maggots inside, and while it may seem atrocious, it’s actually a very sought-after delicacy in Sardinia, as it’s been banned by E.U. health regulations and needs to be bought on the black market.
Read also: Things to know about Sardinia before visiting
Beaches, beaches, beaches
There are almost as many beaches as there are caves. When talking in numbers, Sardinia has a 1,850 km (1,150 miles) long coastline and has over 200 beaches. And they come in all shapes and forms. Among the most popular ones are Costa Sud, Spiaggia Sa Colonia or the horseshoe shaped Spiaggia Su Portu. It really depends on what you are looking in a beach. But you have plenty of beaches to choose from.
There are more sheep than people
In Sardinia, there are around 1.6 million people and around 2.7 million sheep. If you rent a car in Sardinia, chances are that at some point during your trip, you will end up in a small country road where you’ll encounter a traffic jam caused by a herd of sheep. If it happens, your only option is to sit and relax and let the sheep walkthrough.
Buenos Aires in Argentina is named after a hill in Sardinia
Wondering how that happened? Well, here’s the story.
The name “Buenos Aires” can be translated as “fair winds” or “good airs”, but the former was the meaning intended by the founders in the 16th century, by the use of the original name “Real de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre”, named after the Madonna of Bonaria in Sardinia, Italy. The hill we are talking here about is located nest to Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia and the name of the hill is Bonaria (meaning “fair winds”). On the hill was built an abbey, to the glory of Virgin Mary, and later, when Pedro de Mendoza founded Buenos Aires in Argentina, he chose the name Santa María del Buen Aire, in reference to the Virgin of Buen Aire in Sardinia.
There are more than 7,000 Nuraghi in Sardinia
The Nuraghi are stone towers built by the Nuragic civilization, all the way back to 1,800 BC, more than 3,000 years ago.
Today there are more than 7,000 nuraghi all over Sardinia. The most famous nuraghe is the Nuraghe of Barumini, which was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.
Sardines are named after Sardinia
Sardines are named after Sardinia, not the other way round. The small oily fish were once in abundance, in the seas around the island of Sardinia. The name appeared in the English language around the 15th century. Nowadays, the island is not particularly famous for sardines, nor is this small fish used in traditional food.
A lot of prehistoric archaeological sites are on the island
Sardinia has over 7000 prehistoric archaeological sites that date from before 1000 BC. The island boasts some of the oldest evidence of prehistoric civilizations in Europe. The most famous historic artifacts on the island are the mysterious Nuraghe monuments that date back to 1500BCE. It is thanks to all the civilizations that ruled on the island.
2 thoughts on “15 Interesting Facts about Sardinia”
Comments are closed.