Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and before Cyprus) and an autonomous region of Italy. Tourism in Sardinia is one of the fastest growing sectors of the regional economy. The island attracts more than a million tourists from both Italy (particularly from Lombardy, Piedmont and Lazio) and from Europe (especially from Germany and France) and to a lesser degree from the rest of the World. According to statistics, arrivals in 2016 were 2.9 million.
Video Tourism in Sardinia
History
Modern tourism in Sardinia began in 1948 when the first investments and development plans were started in conjunction with the acquisition of autonomous region status and the definitive defeat of malaria along the coast. The first promotions and infrastructural achievements were implemented through the Sardinian Tourism Industries Organization (ESIT), which promoted and financed the construction of some hotels including the Miramar hotel in Alghero (1953). The first tourist shake developed in the 1950s and 1960s, especially in Alghero and in its Riviera del Corallo.
The growth of the tourism industry initiated in the early sixties when Porto Cervo was founded by the Ismailis Aga Khan prince in Costa Smeralda at the municipality of Arzachena, which became the symbol of tourism development for the island. Architects such as Luigi Vietti, Michele Busiri Vici and Jacques Couelle contributed to the realization of the various developments. Porto Cervo was soon followed by Porto Rotondo, Romazzino, Cala di Volpe and Porto Raphael. As Costa Smeralda became more and more established among the international jet set, the race for the construction of tourist resorts began in many coastal towns on the island.
To this original developments, a myriad of other development with similar offeringw followed, such as Baja Sardinia, Liscia di Vacca, to name a few in the vicinity. The sector developed exponentially in the rest of Sardinia as well until it became one of the main sectors of the island's economic activities.
Maps Tourism in Sardinia
Sardinian territories
The island is subdivided into several historical regions, rich in history and traditions, sometimes also different by language. Here are the most touristly known ones:
South
Cagliaritano, Trexenta, Marmilla, Sarcidano, Sarrabus
Cagliari is the capital of the region and at the same time the most important city in the island. It has very ancient origins, it was founded by the Phoenicians but on previous nuragic sites. Then the Punics and the Romans left many archaeological finds, including the Tuvixeddu necropolis and the amphitheater, which could accommodate up to 10,000 people. Numerous coastal ponds surround the city, like the Molentargius - Saline Regional Park, located between the urban area and Poetto Beach. These wetlands are very important for the reproduction of water birds such as the greater flamingo.
In the Sarrabus-Gerrei, the beaches of Costa Rei extend to the foot of the hills of Capo Ferrato; they are considered to be among the most beautiful in the world by Lonely Planet, along with those of Villasimius further south. To the southwest of Cagliari, the main tourist resorts are located in the town of Pula, which also houses the ruins of the ancient city of Nora.
The Marmilla and Sarcidano regions have several important archaeological sites and landscapes such as the Giara di Gesturi. At Barumini is the site of Su Nuraxi, UNESCO heritage, one of the most visited on the island. In the commune territory of Orroli there are the ruins of Nuraghe Arrubiu. These territories and nearby Trexenta are traversed by the Trenino Verde, a railway touristic line.
Sulcis, Iglesiente, Monreale
The south-west part of Sardinia is the Sulcis region and also includes the islands of San Pietro and Sant'Antioco, which have the peculiarity of hosting Ligurian communities (Carloforte and Calasetta). It is a very ancient land of great historic and landscaping interest. The Teulada cape limestone cliffs originated 500 million years ago and are considered among the oldest rocks in Europe. In the vicinity of Carbonia there is the fortress of Monte Sirai, a testimony to the Phoenician-Punic and then Roman domination of the region, which also affected the islands and the littoral below, where are located the ruins of Sulci, Bithia, Inosim and Pani-Loriga (VIII century BC ). The most popular seaside resorts are Porto Pino (Sant'Anna Arresi) and Chia (Domus de Maria).
The Iglesiente, named after the medieval town of Iglesias (founded by the infamous Count Ugolino della Gherardesca), has been an important mining district and old abandoned mines are an example of mining architecture and industrial archeology. In the municipality of Fluminimaggiore there is the temple of Antas, from Punic Roman times.
Another suggestive spot are the sand dunes of Piscinas (Arbus), in the Costa Verde, where golden sand dunes penetrate three kilometers into the interior, forming a miniature desert. The dunes are active and moved by the wind moving inwards. Desert boundaries grow twisted junipers and the Mediterranean scrub is inhabited by countless animals including the Sardinian deer.
Center
Barbagia, Baronie and Ogliastra
Barbagia is the region that represents the heart of Sardinia; it revolve around the Gennargentu massif and Supramonte highland, a chain of granite, shale and limestone mountains that reaches the eastern coast from the inner parts of the island to fall over the sea between Dorgali and Baunei. The town of Nuoro is the main urban center while Fonni is a winter sports center with a ski lift to Monte Spada and Bruncu Spina.
The main tourist places of the coastal region of the Baronie are Orosei, Posada and Siniscola. In Ogliastra the main touristic localities include Arbatax-Tortolì, Santa Maria Navarrese, Lotzorai, Bari Sardo and Cardedu.
Sinis, Marghine, Montiferru, Planargia, Barigadu
Tharros was founded by the Phoenicians, but on previous nuragic villages; it was inhabited for 1800 years before being abandoned. The port's ruins are impressive, but only a small part of its actual extension has been excavated. In the Sinis peninsula, where the famous Giants of Monte Prama were discovered, there are sandy beaches such as Is Arutas and Mari Ermi.
Oristano had his most splendid period between the year 1100 and 1400 during the period of the Giudicato of Arborea. Of the ancient walled wall remain the tower of San Cristoforo or of Marianus II of Arborea and the opposite Portixedda. In the historic center, near the Eleonora of Arborea square, it's possible to visit the Cathedral and the churches of San Francesco and Santa Chiara. Just outside Oristano there is the pond of Cabras and the nearby lagoon of Mistras where thousands of cormorants and flamingos, as well as ducks, coots, white herons, western swamphen, black-winged stilt, live seasonally.
The main tourist resort of the Planargia is the town of Bosa with the Castle of Serravalle. The Marghine, which has Macomer has main center, is one of the Sardinian territories with the highest concentration of nuragic sites. In the Barigadu region one of the most visited site are the ruins of the Roman baths in the territory of Fordongianus (former Forum Traiani).
North
Gallura
Gallura is a territory that occupies the whole northeastern part of Sardinia, including the Maddalena archipelago and the island of Caprera, where Giuseppe Garibaldi spent his last years and where he's buried. It is a mountain region, with few flat areas (the Olbia plain) dominated by the polished granite shapes and the dark green of the Mediterranean scrub.
In the Costa Smeralda, and further south in Budoni and San Teodoro, much of the island's tourism is concentrated, but there are also completely wild areas, such as the vast territories of Alà dei Sardi and Buddusò, easily reachable from the coast. All coastal communes are renowned tourist resorts, while the communes of the interior are rich in precious testimonies of the Nuragic civilization, dolmen, menhirs and sacred wells, as well as characteristic mountain villages (such as Aggius) or natural scenarios among the most striking and great value with enormous millennial trees like the olive trees of Santu Baltolu in Luras.
Algherese, Riviera del Corallo, Porto Torres, Golfo dell'Asinara, Romangia, Logudoro, Anglona, Meilogu
Alghero and the Riviera del Corallo, Porto Torres, Asinara, Argentiera and Stintino are well-known locations. Alghero, a tourist-oriented city and catalan linguistic island, has numerous beaches and a vast and varied naturalistic heritage with a historic center that can be considered a museum in itself. The surrounding area is also rich in monuments and museums, witnessing its millennial history. The Alghero territory is also known as the Riviera del Corallo. Very fascinating are the coasts around Capo Caccia and its submerged caves.
Further north are located the ghost town of Argentiera and the port city of Porto Torres, with the island of Asinara and its national park, the important Roman vestiges of the ancient city of Turris Libisonis, countless archaeological sites located throughout its territory as well as the majestic Basilica of San Gavino, former cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sassari and one of the first manifestations of Romanesque architecture in Sardinia; to remember also the nearby beach of Balai. Stintino with its famous beaches such as La Pelosa. Castelsardo with its medieval castle and medieval village and the picturesque beaches of Lu Bagnu. And many other places of interest such as Sassari, Sardinia's second city by population, with its historic center, archaeological sites (such as the megalithic altar of Monte d'Accoddi) and the beach of Platamona, Sedini and Tergu, Valledoria etc.
In the Logudoro hinterland, in addition to the Prenuragic and nuragic vestiges (including the Dolmen of Sa Coveccada and the nuraghe Santu Antine) there are numeros Romanesque churches, such as the basilica of Saccargia of Codrongianos, built between XI and XII century in Romanesque-Pisan style by the judges of Torres, or also the basilica of Sant'Antioco di Bisarcio in Ozieri and the church of Santa Maria del Regno of Ardara.
See also
- List of tourist attractions in Sardinia
- List of archaeological and artistic sites of Sardinia
Notes
Bibliography
- Touring Club Italiano: Sardegna, Touring Editore 1984. ISBN 88-365-0023-4
- Raffaele Paci, Stefano Usai: L'ultima spiaggia: turismo, economia e sostenibilità ambientale in Sardegna. CUEC 2002. ISBN 88-8467-065-9
- Crenos (a cura di): Economia della Sardegna. Editoriasarda 2007. ISBN 88-8467-382-8
- Brunella Brundu, Turismo e città minori in Sardegna. Alghero e Olbia tra innovazione e percezione, Milano, 2013 ISBN 978-88-204-5790-7
- Bachisio Bandinu: Costa Smeralda. Come nasce una favola turistica, Milano, Rizzoli, 1980
- Sandro Roggio: I cinquant'anni della Costa Smeralda, in La Nuova Sardegna, 25 settembre 2011
Source of article : Wikipedia
0 Comments