SARDINIA SLIDE SHOW
Sardinia: Italy's Island Surprise
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Sardinia's silhouette is illustrated by this piece of marble, which was recently on display outside of a shop in the northern village of Santa Teresa Gallura. (Eliot Stein)
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Limestone cliffs and white-sand beaches define much of Sardinia's roughly 1,200-mile-long coastline. In the east, some of the cliffs plunge to grottoes along the Golfo di Orosei, including this one near the small beach of Cala Goloritzé. (Eliot Stein)
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These red rocks at the eastern port of Arbatax are within sight of the antique steam train's terminus. (Eliot Stein)
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On the north coast, the windswept lighthouse at Capo Testa rests on high ground surrounded by fantastic granite outcroppings that inspired the late British sculptor Henry Moore. Reach it by taking a moderate-level hike over hills and through beds of wildflowers from Rena Maiori beach. (Eliot Stein)
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Take the small passageway dug into the massive porphyritic reef of Arbatax's red rocks to reach a secluded beach. (Eliot Stein)
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Sardinia's mountainous interior is walkable, including the gorgeous Lake Flumendosa. But it's more comfortable to tour it as a passenger on an antique train. The most scenic of Sardinia's four antique-train routes runs between Mandas and Arbatax. (Eliot Stein)
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Ride an antique train, as British novelist D.H. Lawrence did in 1921. The trains have switched from steam to diesel engines since his journey, but the cars maintain their old-time feel. (Eliot Stein)
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Sardinia is home to thousands of weathered nuraghi—stone towers dating from the Bronze Age. The one shown here dates back to the 12th-century B.C. and lies outside Castelsardo, a northern coastal town. Others are three stories high. (Eliot Stein)
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In rural Sardinia, cork oaks dot the landscape. These were photographed on the interior plateau of Giara di Gesturi, north of Cagliari. (Eliot Stein)
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Cagliari (pronounced kal-yah-ri) is Sardinia's capital. Every May 1, it hosts a four-day religious procession. Citizens gather to carry an effigy of St. Efisio, the island's patron saint, 21 miles southeast to Nora—then back. (Eliot Stein)
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In a prelude to Easter, men carry a representation of Jesus' casket through the old part of Castelsardo—a small northern fishing town—before attending a ritual funeral at the local cathedral. (Eliot Stein)
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The northern beach Spiaggia della Pelosa is a short walk from the quaint fishing village of Stintino. The remains of a 16th-century Spanish tower stand offshore, one of Sardinia's many reminders of Spanish, Roman, and Phoenician invasions. (Eliot Stein)
