it
de
nl
en
fr
The unspoiled and fascinating south-west coast of Sardinia with its two inhabited islands Sant Antioco and San Pietro, easily reachable from the island’s capital Cagliari, is still unknown as a holiday destination in Sardinia: though unjustifiedly because the region called Sulcis-Iglesiente – not even crowded in summer – offers long sandy beaches, hidden coves, steep and fascinating cliffs, an unspoilt landscape, abandoned mines and – last but not least – very good white and red wines and a tastefully cuisine.
The best things to do in the southwest of Sardinia
The region of the Sulcis-Iglesiente offers a fascinating coast stretch with long sandy beaches (like Porto Paglia at Gonnesa and San Nicolao in the north at Portixeddu), extended sandy dunes and steep cliffs, abandoned mines and an unspoilt and hilly landscape.
We recommend to take the coast road from Portixeddu to Gonnesa with its view of the off-shore rock Pan di Zucchero and to make a stop-over at Nebidda to walk the sea-view loop road to discover the beauties of this region. In addition one can visit some of the abandoned mines with guided tours, for example the one of Santa Barbara near Gonnesa or the mining museum at Carbonia.
Carbonia is a relatively “young” city and was inaugurated in 1938 by Benito Mussolini. The name of Carbonia refers to the Italian word of coal, which was abundant in this region, and Carbonia was one of the main mining centres of Sardinia. Since the mine´s closing in the 1970s the town has to deal with a high unemployment rate. A place worth a visit is the near Monte Sirai hosting the ruins of a Phoenician-Punic settlement.
SardiniaNatour offers a variety of holiday homes, villas, flats and Bed & Breakfast for long stays or short trips to discover the fascinating south-west part of Sardinia.
(to be continued ….)
Text and photo: SardiniaNatour May 2016
