Nature

NATURE: ENJOY IT!

Sant’Antioco is a natural heaven, every bit of it is a discovery, due to the lush natural vegetation, full of colors in spring, evergreen Mediterranean scrub even during the summer drought. All the environments are right here, in front of you:  beautiful sea and beaches, cliffs, the countryside, the woods, the wetlands and ponds, the hills. The most representative kind of trees are the olive tree, lentisk, and phillyrea, San Pietro palm; cistus, euphorbia, heather and broom among the shrubs. Plenty of flowers, from the yellow blooms of golden flowers in summer, to the wild saffron that arises spontaneously, to different varieties of orchids, including the “poor’s lily ”, to those that are born right on the beaches, the pink and white flowered carpobrotus (ice plant), and the rare, beautiful sea lilies. The wildlife is rich as well, with thousands of birds (the migration of bee-eaters, thrushes and starlings, many diurnal and nocturnal birds of prey, the water birds among which cormorants, herons and flamingos, and then passerines, swallows, the Sardinian partridge, the hoopoe …), with a large representation of rodents (rabbits and hares, weasels and mustioli), of wild boar and small animals such as frogs, toads, pretty hedgehogs, beautiful insects including dragonflies, colorful butterflies and hard-working bees, further proof of pristine environment. Important to note that there are no poisonous animals in Sardinia. The landscape offers spectacular views, romantic sunsets and breathtaking panorama.

List them all is a really hard task, let’s just mention:

• Semaforo di Capo Sperone (on the hill, with a gorgeous sea view, from Capo Teulada to san Pietro island , among the scenic ruins of the old Navy station)

• Il nido dei passeri (on the west cliff, towards San Pietro Island, great shots, with the Mangiabarche lighthouse in the middle of the sea)

• Capo Sperone (a rocky cliff, reachable only on foot, mtb, horse, with a path that winds through the low, fragrant sea-front vegetation)

• The rocks that dominate the sites of Grutti Acqua and Corongiu Murvonis (with the ancient vestiges of the Nuragic civilizations)

• Mount Arbus, right above us (360 degree panorama over the whole island and the sea)

• Sa Punta S’Aliga sea pond, with all its water birds

• The environment of Le Saline, packed with flamingos and herons

• Torre Cannai, headquarters of Italia Nostra, from which you can admire the surroundings and the many colors of a stunning sea

You can go for walks, trekking, birdwatching, cycling along the paths by the sea or on the most challenging climbs in the interior of the island, enjoy a horseback ride in front of the sunset, or, if you love the strongest emotions, a quad adventure to quickly reach the most inaccessible sites. For walkers, just in front of us you find the “Cammino di Santu Jacu”, in its part of the south west path, which crosses the whole of Sardinia; it is not as famous as Camino de Santiago, but it’s fascinating all the same.

If you want to go a little further than Sant’Antioco, don’t miss:

  • the cave of Santa Barbara and the mine of San Giovanni, Gonnesa
  • the cave of San Giovanni, in Domusnovas
  • the Monteponi mine in Iglesias
  • the Rosas mine, in Narcao
  • the cave of Is Zuddas, in Santadi
  • the Su Mannau cave in Fluminimaggiore
  • the Su Zurfuru mine in Fluminimaggiore
  • Porto Flavia and Buggerru, with the Henry Gallery and its train that goes in and out in the tunnel carved in the rocks overlooking the sea, a great experience
  • Belvedere di Nebida, famous for its views and also amoung free climbers lovers
  • The “blue trail”, overlooking the sea, for the more experienced trekkers
  • the waterfalls of Sa Spendula and Muru Mannu in Villacidro
  • the forest complex of Monte Arcusu, WWF headquarters, with deers and wild boars
  • the Marganai forest, above Iglesias
  • the castle of Acquafredda, in Siliqua, home of Ugolino della Gherardesca (yes, just that one… Dante Alighieri ugly guy)
  • “Sa Reina” (the Queen), one of the largest and oldest olive trees in Europe, in S’Ortu Mannu, in Villamassargia

Be pampered by nature! Relax and have fun!