Susan Serven

Sardinia, Italy, is renowned for its stunning beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, unique coastal landscapes and believe it or not, their pink flamingos!

Beyond the beaches, it's known for its rich history, including the ancient Nuragic civilization, unique culture, and delicious cuisine. It's also one of the world's five "blue zones," where people tend to live longer.

It’s the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the twenty regions of Italy.It’s actually also home to several Roman archeological sites, including the Punic-Roman city of Nora with its theatre and mosaics, the Roman amphitheater in Cagliari, and the ancient Roman spa at Fordongianus.

Other significant Roman remains include roads, aqueducts, temples, and residential areas scattered across the island, remnants of its importance as a strategic Roman territory.

We headed here first for a short visit on our way to Milan, and I could have stayed two weeks.

We stayed at the beautiful Forte Village Resort on Sardinia – every walkway and small road has magnificent tropical flowers and trees growing everywhere. There’s a nightclub, spa, tropical birds and nine pools, all in a natural setting.

The outdoor breakfast is spectacular – everything is fresh and delicious and you won’t want to eat for the rest of the day.

We took a day trip (driving steep winding roads on a very scenic route) to the capital, Cagliari.Cagliari, today the capital of Sardinia, was founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC, probably as a trading post or colony called Karaly.

The city has an extremely long and rich history, with its strategic Mediterranean location leading to rule by various civilizations, including the Punic, Roman, Byzantine, Pisan, and Aragonese.Cagliari is known for its hilltop Castello, a medieval walled quarter situated high over the rest of the town, ancient buildings, and interesting underground areas that you can tour, but which are also featured in many shops, with holes in the old stone floors covered over with plexiglass so you can view the tunnels beneath the city.

Here’s a random crazy story: When we drove the scenic route to Cagliari in our tiny little car I commented on how picturesque it all looked, with the road nearly merging with the sea – the water was just a few inches below us, and there were no guardrails.

After our visit was over and we started our drive back to Forte Village, a storm rolled in, not a big storm, but big enough to cause some flooding and all of a sudden the section of highway we were driving on FELL AWAY RIGHT IN FRONT OF US and we luckily had the presence of mind to not drive directly over the edge.

Soon the Carabinieri (police) were there, closing the roads. We tried to ask how to get back, but our Italian was iffy and the police were busy plus didn’t speak much English.

As GPS kept wanting to send us via the road that had just CRASHED INTO THE sea we needed other options, so called the hotel.

The staff at Forte Village could not have been more helpful – they told us to drop the rental car off at the local agent and arranged a private driver to pick us up and take us back to the hotel via back roads SOME OF WHICH HAD BEEN UNDERWATER EARLIER but were now…fine (?)

So off we went, on a very long, circuitous, scenic local drive back, across more than one tiny stone bridge that had still-wet seaweed draped over its stone from being submerged that day.

These caves are a type of pre-Nuragic rock-cut chamber tomb found throughout Sardinia believed to have been carved by the fairies themselves.

If you can, take a trip to see the caves known as "Domus de Janas," or "houses of the fairies.”

In Sardinian mythology, the mythical pale-faced women who live in caves are called Janas, which means "fairies". They are often described as benevolent, beautiful, and slender beings with pale, moonlit skin who emerge at night to sing and weave fine golden threads.

They are said to be skilled weavers who can create fine golden and silver fabrics, and they are believed to have taught humans the secrets of baking bread.

Some legends say they are benevolent, while others warn of people who have disappeared after entering their dwellings, so only visit if you dare.