Sardinia

An exploration of Sardinia's rich history and culture, featuring shipwrecks, ancient castles and underwater ruins. Tourism in Sardinia is booming, yet there is nothing else in print that deals with the island's incredibly rich history and culture, which stretches back to the Neolithic period. This book details everyone from the Phoenicians to the Carthaginians and Aragonese who invaded Sardinia, which is covered with some of the most fascinating historical and archaeological sites in Europe--from thousands of nuraghi, Bronze Age towers and settlements, to "giant's grave" and "fairy house" tombs. It also holds eccentric festivals, from Barbagia's carnival parade of ghoulish mamuthones, said to banish winter demons, to the death-defying S'Ardia horse race in Sedilo. There are shipwrecks off Cagliari's coast, underwater caves and submerged Roman ruins in addition to ancient castles, churches, undisturbed hilltop villages and 2,000 miles of some of the most beautiful coastline in the world.

Edward Burman

Introduction 1 Into Sardinia: Bosa and Oristano 2 Tharros and Cabras 3 Antas 4 Cagliari 5 Barumini-Gavoi/Fonni-Nuoro 6 Nuoro to Olbia 7 Olbia-Arzachena-Caprera 8 Tempio Pausania-Castelsardo-Porto Torres-Stintino-Asinara 9 Sassari 10 Alghero Epilogue: A Final Word Acknowledgements A Note on the Photographs Suggested Further Reading Index Plates