Western Sardinia
The choppy blue waters of the Golfo di Oristano provide a magnificent backdrop to the ruins of ancient Tharros. Founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th…
Must-see attractions in Western Sardinia
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Western Sardinia
Just off the SS131 north of Oristano, the sanctuary at Santa Cristina is an important nuraghic complex. The nuraghic village's extraordinary Bronze Age…
Bosa
Commanding huge views, this hilltop castle was built in the 12th and 13th centuries by the Tuscan Malaspina family. Little remains of the original…
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Oristano
Oristano’s elegant outdoor salon sits at the southern end of pedestrianised Corso Umberto I. An impressive, rectangular space, it comes to life on summer…
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Bosa
Housed in an elegant 19th-century townhouse, Bosa's main museum showcases local arts and artisanal crafts. Each of the three floors has a different theme…
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Western Sardinia
This landmark Romanesque church is one of Sardinia's architectural jewels. Dating to the early 12th century, it sports a severe sandstone exterior…
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Western Sardinia
Cabras' cultural highlight is the Museo Civico, and the real superstars here are the so-called Giants of Monte Prama, a series of towering nuraghic…
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Chiesa di Nostra Signora di Regnos Altos
Bosa
Enclosed within the walls of the Castello Malaspina, this humble but hallowed 14th-century chapel is decorated with an extraordinary 14th-century fresco…
Bosa
Spanning the Temo River near the heart of the old town, Bosa's main bridge is a handsome three-arched affair, built from the region's characteristic red…
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Museo Archeologico Antiquarium Arborense
Oristano
Oristano’s principal museum has one of the island’s major archaeological collections, with prehistoric artefacts from the Sinis Peninsula and finds from…
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Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta
Oristano
Lording it over Oristano’s skyline, the Duomo's onion-domed bell tower is one of the few remaining elements of the original 14th-century cathedral, itself…
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Western Sardinia
Off the SS131 just north of Paulilatino, the Nuraghe Losa is one of Sardinia's most impressive nuraghi. The site’s centrepiece is a three-sided keep…
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Western Sardinia
A fine example of Piedmontese neoclassicism, 18th-century Palazzo Boyl dominates Milis' manicured village centre. Originally a summer residence for the…
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Santuario di Santa Maria Madonna di Bonacattu
Western Sardinia
According to an edict issued by Pope Pius VII in 1821, anyone who confesses at this tiny church between 14 and 28 September will receive full plenary…
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Museo della Tecnologia Contadina
Western Sardinia
Santu Lussurgiu has long been known for its crafts and remains a production centre for ironwork, woodwork and leatherwork. Explore the town's rural…
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Oristano
The 14th-century Crocifisso di Nicodemo, considered one of Sardinia’s most precious carvings, is the highlight of this 19th-century neoclassical church…
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Western Sardinia
This bare, rocky island 10km off the coast owes its strange name (Stomach-ache Island) to the seasickness that sailors often suffered while navigating its…
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Chiesa di San Giovanni di Sinis
Western Sardinia
Built from softly worn sandstone, Chiesa di San Giovanni di Sinis is one of the two oldest churches in Sardinia (Cagliari’s Basilica di San Saturnino is…
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Chiesa di San Leonardo de Siete Fuentes
Western Sardinia
This charming 12th-century Romanesque church, which once belonged to the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, forms the centrepiece of the tiny woodland…
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Centro di Documentazione sulla Sartiglia
Oristano
For a visceral taste of Oristano's headline festival, Sa Sartiglia, pop into this free museum adjacent to the city's Pinacoteca. Look out for various…
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Basilica di Santa Maria della Neve
Western Sardinia
A landmark for miles around, the hulking, silver-domed Basilica di Santa Maria della Neve marks the high point of the village. According to local…
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Western Sardinia
One of the peninsula's most famous beaches, Is Aruttas is a pristine arc of white sand fronted by translucent aquamarine waters. For years its quartz sand…
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Western Sardinia
This creepy museum, signposted as the Museo del Territorio, is dedicated to witches and local folklore and features the reconstruction of a 16th-century…
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Western Sardinia
Housed in a renovated mill, this civic museum charts Arborea's Mussolini-era origins, including its architectural planning, the influx of new residents…
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Western Sardinia
Backed by a motley set of holiday homes and beach bars, Putzu Idu's beach sits in the north of the peninsula. It's a picturesque strip of sand that's…
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Western Sardinia
In the centre of the village, the 17th-century Chiesa di San Salvatore stands over a stone ipogeo (underground vault) dating to the nuraghic period. This…
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Western Sardinia
The impressive remains of Fordongianus' 1st-century Terme Romane sit on the banks of the river Tirso. In the centre of the complex you’ll see a…
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Western Sardinia
A characteristic of Fordongianus is the rusty-red trachyte stone of which so many of its buildings are made. As red as the rest is the lovely late-16th…
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Bosa
On the south bank of the river, this museum occupies Bosa's former tanneries, which remained in business until after WWII. On the ground floor you can see…
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Western Sardinia
A few kilometres out of Tharros, and signposted off the main road, the Oasi di Seu is a veritable Eden of Mediterranean flora. Once you’ve navigated the…
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Museo Archeologico-Etnografico Palazzo Atzori
Western Sardinia
Spread over three floors, this museum in Paulilatino focuses on traditional rural life, with exhibits dedicated to baking, lacework, equestrian gear,…
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Western Sardinia
In Ghilarza is the house where the famous early 20th-century political thinker Antonio Gramsci lived between 1898 and 1911. The small collection of photos…
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Western Sardinia
Arborea's showcase square, Piazza Maria Ausiliatrice is a beautifully tended space that wouldn’t look out of place in a Swiss alpine village. Overlooking…
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Oristano
Piazza Eleonora d'Arborea became the city's central square through 19th-century urban reforms. Today it is a quiet spot where you can sit beneath the…
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Cattedrale di San Pietro Extramuros
Bosa
Two kilometres upstream from the Chiesa di Sant’ Antonio Abate is this 11th-century cathedral, said to be the oldest Romanesque church in Sardinia…
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Torre di San Giovanni Watchtower
Western Sardinia
For a bird’s-eye view of Tharros, head up to the late-16th-century Torre di San Giovanni watchtower, occasionally used for exhibitions. Here you can look…
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Bosa
Bosa's cathedral dates to the early 19th century when it was built over an earlier Romanesque church. A rare, if not overly riveting, example of rococo …
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Bosa
A short walk from Ponte Vecchio on the southern side of the river is the little Chiesa di Sant’Antonio Abate. Featuring a 16th-century Gothic facade in…
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Oristano
Little survives of the medieval walled town except for a pair of towers. This 13th-century beauty, known also as the Torre di Cristoforo, was the town’s…
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Bosa
This tower overlooking the beach at Bosa Marina is one of the largest in a series of defensive towers built by the island's Aragonese rulers in the 16th…
