Sardinia Grand Cultural Heritage & Coastal Tour – 12 Days

Afternoon:

• Arrival in Olbia: After landing at Olbia airport, you will be welcomed by a local guide and taken by a private coach to the hotel for check-in.

Evening/Night:

• Welcome Dinner: Savour your first taste of Sardinian cuisine with a delightful welcome dinner, consisting of four courses, including water and wine.

Morning:

• Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel, then head to the countryside of Arzachena, one of the main villages of the Gallura region.
• Nuraghe La Prisgiona: Visit the Nuraghe La Prisgiona, a settlement consisting of a central tower flanked by two lateral towers, with a large courtyard and meeting hut outside the bastion.
• Coddu Ecchju Tomb of the Giants: Explore the archaeological site of the renowned tomb of the giants of Coddu Ecchju, and learn the fascinating symbolism behind these Bronze Age monumental graves.

Afternoon:

• Lunch: Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.
• San Pantaleo Walking Tour: Visit San Pantaleo, a picturesque village nestled among the granite mountains of Gallura, home since the 1970s to a bohemian community of artists and Gallurese artisans.

Evening/Night:

• Tenute Ólbios Winery: Tour the Tenute Ólbios winery in the countryside around Olbia, home to Sardinia's only DOCG-designated Vermentino, followed by a tasting of three wines paired with local cheeses, cured meats, fruit, bread, and honey. Return to your hotel for dinner.

Morning:

• Breakfast: Leisurely breakfast at the hotel, then head south towards the Barbagia subregion.
• Cortes Apertas in Dorgali: Stroll through Cortes Apertas*, the “open courtyards” festival, exploring crafts workshops, food stalls, folk dances, and traditional tools scattered throughout the streets of Dorgali

Afternoon:

• Lunch: Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.
• Free Time in Dorgali or Nuoro: Continue exploring the Cortes Apertas festivities, or enjoy free time in Nuoro or another Barbagia village.

Evening/Night:

• Transfer to Cala Gonone: Make your way to Cala Gonone, where you will spend the next three nights, and enjoy dinner.

Morning:

• Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel, then head to the harbour of Cala Gonone.
• Cruise in the Gulf of Orosei: Embark on a scenic cruise* aboard a motorboat along the stunning coast of the Gulf of Orosei, renowned for its enchanting bays and towering cliffs, with a swim stop at Cala Luna, the exotic setting of the film “Swept Away.”

Afternoon:

• Grotta del Bue Marino: Explore part of the Grotta del Bue Marino (Sea Ox Cave), a karstic cave once home to monk seals, visiting a 1-kilometre gallery of freshwater pools, geological formations, and Neolithic rock paintings depicting a ‘dance of the sun.’ Enjoy a packed lunch during the excursion.

Evening/Night:

• Return: After this fulfilling day at sea, return to the hotel for dinner.

Morning:

• Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel, then depart for the Cantina di Oliena winery.
• Cantina di Oliena Winery: Tour the Cantina di Oliena, best known for its Nepente wine, and learn about Cannonau grape varieties and traditional winemaking methods, finishing with a tasting of three wines paired with bread, cheese, and cured meat.

Afternoon:

• Lunch with Shepherds: Enjoy a lunch served and cooked by shepherds among the ancient holm-oaks and junipers of the Supramonte plateau, followed by a performance of Canto a Tenore, a UNESCO-recognised Sardinian polyphonic singing tradition.
• Walking Tour of Orgosolo: Explore the lively village of Orgosolo on foot, known for its political and illustrative murals painted across house facades and village streets.

Evening/Night:

• Silkworm Museum: Discover the world of silk farming and the creation of ‘su Lionzu,’ the traditional silk headdress of Orgosolo, before returning to Cala Gonone for the night.

Morning:

• Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel, then leave Cala Gonone behind.
• Santa Cristina Archaeological Park: Visit the archaeological and naturalistic park of Santa Cristina, renowned for its remarkable Nuragic sacred well, built with a particular astronomical orientation.

Afternoon:

• Archaeological Museum of Marongiu: Continue to the archaeological museum of Cabras, home to the extraordinary Giants of Mont'e Prama and finds from the ancient city of Tharros.
• Lunch at an Ittiturismo: Enjoy a fish and seafood lunch at a lagoon-side ittiturismo, including a tasting of bottarga, a Sardinian delicacy crafted from cured fish roe.

Evening/Night:

• Is Arutas Beach Experience: Relax for a couple of hours at Is Arutas, a beach made up of coloured quartz fragments on the wild west coast of the Sinis peninsula, before checking in at your hotel in Oristano for dinner.

Morning:

• Breakfast and Check-out: After checking out in Oristano, head to the Nuraghe Cuccurada.
• Nuraghe Cuccurada: Visit the imposing polylobed Nuraghe Cuccurada, unique for enclosing an older corridor-type nuraghe, offering breathtaking views over the valley.

Afternoon:

• Cooking Class: Take part in a private cooking class at a family-run agriturismo, preparing malloreddus (Sardinian gnocchetti) served alla Campidanese, followed by lunch with starters, a main course, desserts, drinks, and coffee.
• Parco della Giara Plateau: Continue through the Sarcidano and Marmilla subregions to the lush Giara plateau for a short excursion amid cork oak forests, home to the last wild horses of Europe.

Evening/Night:

• Arrival in Cagliari: Arrive in Cagliari to spend the next five nights of the tour. Settle into your room and enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.

Morning:

• Anthigori Winery: Head to the outskirts of Cagliari to explore Cantine Nuraghe Antigori, walking through vineyards of Bovale, Carignano, and Vermentino before touring the winery and tasting three wines paired with local delicacies.

Afternoon:

• Lunch: Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant back in Cagliari.
• Walking Tour of Castello Quarter: Take a walking tour through the Castello quarter, Cagliari's fortified historic district, featuring the Tower of the Elephant, San Pancrazio Tower, and the panoramic Saint Remy Bastion.

Evening:

• Dinner: Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.

Morning:

• Necropolis of Tuvixeddu: Visit Tuvixeddu, home to over 100 tombs and recognized as the largest Punic necropolis ever discovered, inhabited since the Neolithic period. (Free entry.)

Afternoon:

• Hike to the Devil's Saddle: Set out on a short excursion (3km round trip, up to 2 hours) to the Devil's Saddle (Sella del Diavolo) on the promontory of Sant'Elia, overlooking the Golfo degli Angeli, with ancient cisterns, a WWII fort, and a Spanish tower.

Evening/Night:

• Free Time at Poetto Beach: Visit the famous and lively Poetto Beach before returning to the centre of Cagliari; the rest of the day is at your leisure, with dinner in the evening.

Morning:

• Sounding Stone Museum: Explore the captivating Sounding Stone Museum in the village of San Sperate, showcasing artist Pinuccio Sciola's sound-generating stone sculptures.
• San Giovanni Cave: Visit the Cave of San Giovanni, a natural tunnel-like formation open on both sides of a mountain, walking its 850-metre route past stalactites to the forest of Marganai.

Afternoon:

• Lunch: Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant along the route.
• Porto Flavia: Explore Porto Flavia, a former mineral-loading harbour with a movable arm extending from a cliffside tunnel, protected from the sea by the imposing Pan di Zucchero sea stack.

Evening:

• Return: Return to Cagliari to unwind and enjoy dinner.

Morning:

• Nora Archaeological Park: Visit the ancient city of Nora, from its origins as a Nuragic settlement to its role as capital of the Roman province of Sardinia and Corsica, with ruins nestled between the sea and the lagoon.

Afternoon:

• Chia Beach Experience: Relax for an hour at Chia Beach, an expansive stretch of emerald waters and golden dunes recognized by Legambiente as Italy's most beautiful beach, home to pink flamingos.
• Lunch: Stop at a local restaurant for lunch.

Evening/Night:

• Montessu Domus de Janas Necropolis: Explore the Domus de Janas of Montessu, the largest necropolis in southern Sardinia, Neolithic rock-cut tombs inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2025, before returning to Cagliari for your last evening on Sardinian soil.

Morning:

• San Benedetto Market: Explore the picturesque San Benedetto Market, the key point for the trade of fresh food in Cagliari, with a tasting experience featuring cured meats, cheeses, sweets, and a glass of wine.

Afternoon:

• Lunch: Enjoy lunch in a cozy restaurant in the Marina district.
• Free Time: Spend the afternoon at your leisure, shopping in souvenir boutiques or exploring other corners of the city.
• End of Tour: Transfer to Cagliari-Elmas Airport for your flight home.