here the visitor will find Sardinia
at its most traditional and genuine
state. This is a perfect place
for hikers in search of days on
end of uninterrupted stillness
wandering through a pristine wilderness.
The cliffs of the Gennargentu abund
with cork oak, maquis and arbutus
forests that are home to wildlife
such as Sardinian deer, wild pigs,
wildcats, falcons, kites and black
vultures.
Mountains
Mountains,
according to Sardinian legend, after
God created all the dry land and seas,
he finally got around to creating
boulders, which he then flung into
the sea and trod upon. From this “ichnusa”
(footprint, like the shape of Sardinia)
an island was created which is a little
continent unto itself containing every
conceivable type of landscape. And
to make Sardinia absolutely perfect,
God took the creme de la creme of
what he had already created elsewhere
and spread it across the surface of
this rocky island whose majestic mountain
ranges stretch into the distance as
far as the eye can see.
Sardinia’s
towering mountain peaks and impressive
volcanic craters rising high into the
heavens are reminiscent of Africa. Jagged
cliffs, deep gorges and craggy slate
mountains form a patchwork that pleasures
the senses. Sardinia is also notable
for its maze-like stalactite and stalagmite
caves which extend far under the island’s
limestone mountains. And apart from
Sardinia’s manifold natural wonders
there are also the works of man, including
countless fascinating and enigmatic
bronze-age stone nuraghi as well as
simple stone walls crisscrossing rolling
fields and pastures
The
granite of the Supramonte mountains
rising in the distance almost looks
like snow. Sardinia’s mountainous landscape
has acted as a natural shield against
outside control by conquerors and carabinieri,
allowing shepherds to roam free and
notorious bandits to hide in the rocky
labyrinth formed by deep ravines and
hidden caves. Today this inhospitable
rocky landscape also provides numerous
endangered species with a welcome refuge.
Sardinia
is stunningly beautiful, with its magnificent
oak forests that have retained their
primeval character, and its unspoiled,
sparsely populated natural environment
which is the ideal refuge from the hurly-burly
of modern urban life. Somewhat farther
to the south lie the Gennargentu (“tower
of the wind”) mountains, which lie in
the heart of both the Barbagia region
and Sardinia itself.
