Where Is Sardinia?

Where is Sardinia?

One thing you need to know about us Sardinians is that we are very proud people. Despite the many many faults we see in our land, we are very much in love with it. We call it paradise, and we often joke saying that when God created Paradise he in fact ended up creating Sardinia.

Sardinia is a stunning place, and if you decide to visit you will inevitably fall in love with it. You may even come back, over and over.

There are even people that decide to move to Sardinia after visiting.

That’s how my dad – he’s not originally from here – ended up planting his roots in the island. He did not want to come at first (he was sent here for work), but as soon as he set foot here he fell in love with it. Soon enough, he fell in love with my mom too.

I guess the rest is easy to figure out. When he had the opportunity of moving back to mainland Italy, where things are admittedly easier (this is an island after all), he decided to stay here, where he felt he belongs. Where we all belong.

In this post, I will answer the biggest question of all times: where is Sardinia? In a mix of anecdotes and facts, you will learn where this gorgeous island is located and get inspired to visit.

Where Is Sardinia, Actually?

A bit of geography

Do you actually know “where is Sardinia?”

You see, not so many people outside the Mediterranean basin have any idea of “where is Sardinia?”. Some in northern Europe have a vague idea – thanks to mama Ryanair who brought many here with its cheap flights.

So, let me clarify a few things for you and explain where is Sardinia and give you some basic facts.

Sardinia is an island at the very heart of the Mediterranean.

It’s right below Corsica, another big island that belongs to France – from which it is roughly 13 km (8 miles) in the closest bit (the Bonifacio Strait, which here we call Bocche di Bonifacio).

Sardinia is miles and miles away from Sicily, the biggest island in the Mediterranean. It’s about half way between Spain and Italy (it’s 200 km – 124.2 miles – from the coast of Italy), and also about half way between Northern Italy and Northern Africa (only about 200 km – 124.2 miles -separate if from Northern Africa).

Sardinia’s location means it’s not always summer on the island. On the contrary, we do get winters. While winter on the coast is quite mild (even more so in the last few years, because of climate change), it can be quite bitter in the mountains (yes, we do have those too).

Yet, in doubt, let me say that Sardinia is a fantastic winter sun destination and if you want to see what the real Sardinia is like, you should definitely visit in the off season.

How big is Sardinia?

Sardinia is the second biggest island in the Mediterranean. The biggest one is Sicily, another region of Italy.

With a surface of almost 24,100 square km Sardinia is the third largest region in Italy after Sicily and Piedmont.

Just to put things in perspective, Sardinia is actually bigger than Israel, which measures 22,145 square km. That’s how big it is!

It takes about 2 hours to drive from Cagliari to Sassari – the two main cities on the island. It takes a bit more than 3 hours to drive from Cagliari to Olbia, the main base for visiting the Gallura Region.

How many people live in Sardinia?

There are about 1.6 million people living in Sardinia, with an average of 69 people per square km (against an average of 201 in Italy).

To give you an idea of how empty it is, let me tell you that Sicily, which is about the same size as Sardinia, counts 5 million inhabitants.

Israel, which is even smaller, counts more than 9.

With so much space, traffic is hardly an issue in Sardinia – except on hot summer weekends when we have a large influx of tourists and everyone wants to go to the same beach, that is.

A bit of politics

Sardinia is one of the five autonomous regions of Italy. This means we enjoy special status in matters of administration, but nearly not as much autonomy as some would like – some still argue that Sardinia should actually be an independent country. Let’s not get into that discussion though!

What’s the capital of Sardinia?

Cagliari – my hometown – is the capital of Sardinia and also its largest city in terms of inhabitants. The city itself counts around 150,000 people, but the metropolitan area amounts to up to 422,000.

Cagliari is a hilltop city, but it’s right on the shores of the Mediterranean.

Those who have been to Cape Town inevitably know the many similarities between the two cities. Cagliari is also where the main airport is located – the others airports in Sardinia are in Alghero (Alghero Fertilia Airport), on the northwestern coast, and in Olbia (Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport), the main hub of the Gallura.

The second largest city is Sassari, which is located in the north of the island and close to the more famous Alghero.

Sardinian language

Sardinia is a mythical land. It is Italy – sort of. And we Sardinians are Italian – definitely so on paper. We grow up speaking Italian, Italian is our language of education when we go to school, but we also speak Sardinian or Catalan, depending on where we grow up on the island.

And please, don’t ever come ask us if we do speak the Sardinian dialect – because Sardinian is a proper minority language, officially recognized by law 482/99, of which there are many dialects.

The Sardinian we speak here in the south is of the island is completely different from that spoken in the Gallura region up north!

Sardinian vibe

Yes, we Sardinians are different. We feel like we are. We know we are. We call mainland Italy “the continent” or “su continenti” in Sardinian – and as soon as we set foot on mainland we perceive a different vibe.

It goes the same way the other way around: when Italians visit Sardinia they feel like they are in a different country altogether. They can’t quite say what it is – again it is mostly just a vibe.

But that’s what matters, right?

Things changed a bit because of social media and the internet, but it wasn’t until too long ago that people in mainland Italy (the “continent” I told you about) had some interesting ideas of how people in Sardinia would look like, or how they would live.

Remember I told you that my dad had to move here for work.

When his boss told him that he’d be moved to Sardinia, he warned him that although he may see it as a punishment (that’s how bad the reputation of Sardinia was, back in the 1960s), he’d thank him one day.

When my dad called my grandmother to tell him he’d have to move to Sardinia, she asked him what he’d done so bad to be punished in such a harsh way.

Well eventually my dad had to thank his boss for moving him to Sardinia. And legend goes (aka: my mom said) that when grandma got here for my parents wedding, she exclaimed “oh, you do have streets here!”

Yep, that’s how little people used to know about Sardinia until not too long ago.

Sardinia Blue Zone

Did you know that Sardinia is one of the very few blue zones in the world?

That’s right – the life expectancy in Sardinia is generally higher than in the rest of the world, and in Sardinia there is a large number (compared to the rest of the world) of people who are older than 100 years old.

It is said that this is due to a combination of factors including the food, the wine, regular exercise, the weather and the social structure: we Sardinians tend to stay close to our family and circle of friends even when we get old, and thus live a healthy, happy and purposeful life.

Is Sardinia near Rome?

Do you have any idea of how frustrating it is for Sardinians to know that they live in the most beautiful place on earth when they realize that most of the world has no idea of “where is Sardinia?”

Mind you – I don’t blame them. Take me for example – I am unable to place most African countries on a map.

I digress…

But you see, when I travel and meet other travelers or even locals, I often have conversations where the second question I am asked after the most obvious “what’s your name” is “where are you from.” At times, I feel brave and say I am from Sardinia.

Most of the time, I know people may have no idea of where Sardinia is located (especially if I am in a remote place on the other side of the world) and I just say I am from Italy – because everyone knows where Italy is, right?

Then I get the other questions: which city? So I state it: I am from Cagliari, Sardinia.

That’s the look I get when I mention the word Sardinia.

And immediately after, I get other questions – is that near Rome? Is it in the North or South of Italy? Ohhh, Sardinia! Mafia! Errr well no, not really people.

Sardinia and Sicily are two different places – besides, did you know that mafia is just another word for organized crime and that this exists – to a certain extent (and fortunately very little in Sardinia) – in pretty much every single country in the world?

My favorite though is the exclamation: “Oh! Beautiful” – which inevitably means “I have no idea where that is, but I will say it just in case to flatter you.”

Seriously guys, grant us a bit of a sense of humor right? If you have no idea where Sardinia is, just say it. We don’t mind! We will be happy to explain you, I promise!

To date, my funniest “where is Sardinia” story dates from my time at the University of Denver, Colorado.

It was 2001, I was hanging out at the library with another Italian friend. Hearing us talk, a woman approached us to let us know how much she loved Italy (can you blame her?) and to let us know she’d recently been there.

She asked my friend where he was from. Bologna, he said. And she had been there, tried the food, visited the places.

Then it was my turn. I told her I am from Cagliari, Sardinia. She gave me the typical “beautiful” for good measure, but her stare was blank.

I decided I wanted to be a bit mean (I know, I can be a bit mean at times) that day and asked her if she’d been there. She quickly said she had not properly been. But she drove by it once.

What?

I thus told her that well, actually, Sardinia is an island.

Are you sure? – she asked.

I truly wanted to laugh but I had to hold myself. She quickly added that, come to think of it, she once took a ferry and visited for a couple of hours.

That’d be impossible, I told her: ferries to Sardinia take an average of 10 hours so you definitely can’t visit on a day trip, not on a ferry anyways!

What Sardinians want you to know

What many of us in Sardinia find aggravating is that people who consider visiting Italy skip Sardinia altogether. They don’t know where it is, they don’t know what the things to do here are, and they just assume it’s small, and doesn’t offer much.

Those who know where Sardinia is usually think that it is too expensive to travel here – it isn’t, really. Sardinia is just as expensive as Italy and you can visit Sardinia on a budget if you plan carefully and well in advance.

Sardinia has a lot to offer. Marvelous beaches – rightly considered among the best in the world, and with a coastline of almost 1900 km (1180.6 miles)! – mountains and nature reserves. Beautiful cities, quaint villages, unique archeological sites.

Festivals, parades, delicious food and fabulous wines. Hiking and water sports. We really have it all. Yes, Sardinia has some faults – many faults indeed. But Sardinia is really worth visiting, and we want you to discover it.

So, now what you know where is Sardinia, make sure to visit!

Further Readings

Make sure to read my other posts about Sardinia:

• The Best Time To Visit Sardinia
• The Weather In Sardinia
• What Is Sardinia Sea Temperature?
• The Most Interesting Facts About Sardinia
• Everything You Must Know About The Sardinian Flag
• Is Sardinia Safe?
• How To Get To Sardinia: Routes From Italy And Europe
• Where To Stay In Sardinia: The Best Areas And Hotels
• 10 Absolutely Unmissable Things To Do In Sardinia
• The Most Incredible Day Trips From Cagliari
• The 15 Best Beaches In Sardinia
• A Great Sardinian Food Guide
• A Guide To Nuraghe In Sardinia
• What To See And Do In Bosa Sardinia
• The 12 Best Museums In Sardinia
• The Most Interesting Archeological Sites In Sardinia
• 29 Great Movies Filmed In Sardinia And About Sardinia

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