Rent holiday houses and villas near sea in Sardinia

Sardinia is a land that jealously preserve the wonders of its millennial history.

Anywhere, in solitary valleys and promontories perfumed by Mediterranean stain, you can find archaeological rests full of the charm of the ancient "nuragica" civilization, more than 4000 years old.

"Nuraghi", around 7000 in the whole island, still today mark territory with their rests wound by mystery: military constructions, gravestones, places of cult or housing spaces?

Close to the megalithic monuments and the famous "bronzetti"( bronze figurines) representing ancient fighters or " nuragici princes", you can admire all the treasures left by the following dominations: the roads and the theaters built by Phoenician and by Romans, churches and medieval buildings erected by "Pisani" and by "Genovesi" untill Spanish towers, that even today still watch over the sea on the wonderful beaches of the island.

At your disposal there is a full list of the most important museums in Sardinia, if you wish visit them.

Alternation , during the centuries, of such various and different cultures made Sardinian popular traditions extremely rich and fascinating.

Every time during the year, you can assist to popular parties accompanying the slow rhythms of the agricultural and pastoral rotation, mixing sacred and profane, celebrating ancient rites to ask the sky a plentiful harvest.

These parties also give the local people the opportunity to propose songs and dances according to the ancient traditions and to show ancient jewels and clothes, very sober those of the men and very rich and sumptuous those of the women, handed down from mother to daughter.

“Sardinia Discovery” puts at your disposal the calendar of the most important traditional events in the island during the year.

As popular customs, also Sardinian cuisine is influenced by the habits of the people that in ancient times colonized the island, showing two opposite but equally appetizing faces: earth food cuisine and seafood cuisine.

The first one, the most ancient, is made by roasted meats, bread, dairy products, vegetables, honey and sugar and almond paste sweets ; shortly, typical dishes of the shepherds and the farmers, flavoured with Mediterranean herbs and soaked with definite tastes but not hot.

The second one, a seafood cuisine with fish soups, the bottarga (mullets' eggs, considered the caviar of Sardinia), the lobster, the tuna, the swordfish, the "burrida" and the tasty roasts of mullets, sardines.

You can taste these and other innumerable specialties, in small restaurants, in fashion restaurants, in the agricultural firms, during popular feasts and in specialized shops.

Every dish will be wisely accompanied by a choice of the most proper wine both bottled or produced in small vineyards of the house. The range of Sardinian vines is among the richest of Italy and include the Vernaccia, the Vermentino, the Monica, the Cannonau, the Carignano, the Nuragus, the Semidano, the Nasco, the Moscato and the Malvasia.

Among Sardinian liqueurs one of the most diffused is "mirto" got out by the perfumed fruits of "mirto" plant; there is also the "Filu e Ferru", obtained distilling vine (probably according to an ancient Arabic method) whose name remembers the old times when "filo e ferru" was forbidden and an iron thread was used for marking the place where was hidden, Filo e Ferru means iron thread .

Other treasures, that Sardinia generously offers, are the products of the craftsmanship, beautiful objects for home furnishing and the decorating, that men and women still patiently create with wise hands.

The goldsmith's craft tradition is vivacious in many centres of the island where jewels as buttons "sus buttones" and pins "isprugadentes" are still engraved and patiently beaten by hammer, this jewels usually adorn ancient traditional clothes.

Manufacture of knives date back to ancient times, but still today artisans preserve and hand down their knowledge and their ability in tempering and forging blades and modelling knives' handle in ram's horn or in wood.

The precious carpets and the tapestries, hand knotted by the weavers or worked on ancient wood looms, are today popular and loved all over the world, as the shawls, popular for their sober elegance, made in pure silk or in soft wool on which wonderful floral motives are embroidered.

Very often you can see women in small villages, sitting on the threshold of house, while weaving wonderful rush baskets coloured or decorated with legendary scenes. With of rush are manufactured even "launeddas", simple and ancient musical instruments composed by 3 rush reeds that the old men work to produce a particular and unmistakable sound.

In Sardinia you can find even a full range of handmade ceramic products: vases, statuettes and other objects they are decorated with multi colour sketches representing traditional Sardinian subjects as the shearing, the vintage, the weaving or nuraghi, flocks and feasts. The workmanship is realized with moulds, but have only handmade decorations and the decoration is the element that gives value and make appreciated Sardinian ceramics.