30 Interesting Facts About Sardinia, Italy – [100% true facts]

The Main Sardinia Facts

1. Sardinia is the 2nd largest island in the Mediterranean Sea

The island has a surface of 24,090 km² / 9,300 square miles.

This makes it the 2nd largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, right after Sicily (the 1st) and before Cyprus (the 3rd).

Le Piscine beach in Sardinia, Italy

2. It’s the 3rd largest region in Italy

More than just an island, Sardinia is also one of the 20 regions of Italy.

Out of the 20, it’s the 3rd largest, after Sicily and Piedmont. It’s also one of the 5 autonomous regions, and thus has more administrative power than the other 15 regular regions.

3. The island has an incredible life expectancy

Sardinia is one of the places where people live the longest in the world.

In fact, it’s one of the only five “Blue Zones” in the world, areas where inhabitants often reach the old age of 100 years.

From 1996 to 2016, there were 20 people aged 100 years old or older on the island.

In 2020, it has the highest rate of centenarians in the world, together with the island of Okinawa in Japan: 22 centenarians per 100,000 inhabitants.

No stress with views like this!

4. All of the roads are 100% free

Driving in Sardinia is a blessing, as 100% of the roads are completely free!

There is no toll on the Sardinian roads, as there is no highway on the island. This also means that the maximum speed on the road is 90km/h (56mph), and is much lower in villages.

However there is one exception, with a freeway named SS131, where you can drive up to 110km/h (68mph) for a while. This road is still free to drive on.

5. 25% of the island is Protected Area

If you love nature and the outdoors, you’ll love Sardinia.

The entire island is stunning, and 25% of the island is environmentally preserved.

There are 3 National Parks on the island (Asinara National Park, Arcipelago di La Maddalena National Park & Gennargentu National Park), and 10 regional parks. If you’re visiting the island, you absolutely need to add one these parks in your Sardinia itinerary.

Asinara National Park by Stefano Bussolon

6. The highest mountain in Sardina is Punta La Marmora at 1,834m (6,017 feet)

There are plenty of mountains on Sardinia, and they make for around 13% of the island.

The main mountain ranges are:

• Gennargentu Ranges
• Monte Limbara
• Chain of Marghine and Goceano
• Monte Albo
• Sette Fratelli Range
• Sulcis Mountains
• Monte Linas

The highest mountain on the island is Punta La Marmora, part of the Gennargentu Ranges; it’s 1,834 meters high (6,017 feet).

7. There’s an island full of wild albino donkeys

That’s definitely one of the best fun facts about Sardinia.

Asinara is a small island just north of Sardinia, now a National Park and Marine Reserve.

The island is home to a population of white donkeys, and there are around 120 albino donkeys on the island.

If you want to see the famous white donkeys, you can visit the island!

Albino donkey on Asinara Island in Sardinia by Roberto Cossu

8. The old name of Sardinia was Ichnusa

Sardinia wasn’t always named Sardinia.

In the past, around 1,500 BC, the island was known as Ichnusa, or Ἰχνοῦσα in greek.

9. It once had the smallest kingdom in the world: Tavolara

Tavolara is a small island, north east of Sardinia.

In 1836, when the King of Sardinia visited the island, he met the only inhabitant of the island, Guiseppe Bertoleoni. He referred to him as King of Tavolara, and the island of Tavolara thus became the smallest kingdom of the world.

10. More than 300 unique species of plants are found only in Sardinia

There are around 2,400 different kind of plants in Sardinia, and as such the landscapes of the island vary greatly as you travel around.

Out of the 2,400 species of plants, 322 are unique to the island. 

11. Sardinia is home to 54 different species of spiders

Maybe not one of the Sardinia fun facts for you if you hate the 8 legged animals, so you can just go ahead and skip this one.

According to a study by Paolo Pantini et al. in 2012, there are 495 different species of spiders in Sardinia.

Out of the 495, 54 species can only be found in Sardinia.

12. The Femmina Accabadora was the bringer of death – but good death

The local folklore includes the Femmina Accabadora, the bringer of good death.

She was responsible for helping people to die, to end their suffering, or euthanasia as we know it.

The family of the old or ill would request the services of the Accabadora, and she would use a cudgel, a short stick, to swiftly kill without pain.

13. It has some of the biggest sand dunes in Europe, the dunes of Piscinas

The dunes of Piscinas are sand dunes, among the biggest in Europe; they can reach up to 60 meters high (197 feet).

They can be found on the Costa Verde, on the west coast of Sardinia.

It’s definitely one of the best places to visit in Sardinia!

The dunes of Piscinas in Sardinia by Philippe Roos

14. There are over 300 caves in Sardinia

The coast of Sardinia is full of caves, and to this day more than 300 caves are known.

The caves and grottoes can be explored, either by foot, with ropes or swimming.

Among all the caves, the most famous is the Grotta di Nettuno, Neptune’s Grotto: formed around 2 million years ago, the grotto goes for 4km (2.5 miles). Inside the grotto, you can find a sandy beach, and even a lake!

15. Su Gorropu is one of the deepest canyons in Europe

To continue with these Sardinia facts about geography, let’s talk about Su Gorropu, one of the deepest canyons in Europe.

The Gorropu canyon is pretty narrow, and is only 4 meters wide at some points (13 feet). And at the highest point, the rocks go up to 450 meters from the base of the canyon (1,476 feet).

This pretty impressive canyon is definitely among the best sights in Sardinia, and you can go on a trekking trip to discover the canyon.

16. Sardinia has very rich wildlife, with 60 Wildlife Reserves

On top of the white donkeys, there are plenty of other animals to see in Sardinia.

Truth is, there are plenty of wild animals to see in Sardinia, in the 60 Wildlife Reserves dotted over the island.

Among the animals you can expect to see, there are flamingos, vultures, red deers, wild horses, and even dolphins!

17. The region is a heavy producer of cork

Each year, Sardinia produces 20,000 tons of cork, carved from the cork oaks. This represents 80% of the Italian production.

About 40% of the cork is exported, and it’s used to make a wide variety of products: wine corks of course, but also shoes, baseballs, music instruments, or even fashion items such as handbags & wallets.

18. La Costa Smeralda is one of the most expensive coasts in the world

The Costa Smeralda, or Emerald Coast, is located on the north east part of Sardinia.

This piece of coast is the most expensive location in all of Europe, where house prices average 300,000€ per square meter. In comparison, a flat on the Champs-Elysées in Paris is “only” 30,000€ per square meter, 10 times less.

It’s mainly due to the fact that many celebrities and royal members have a house there, or come to spend their vacation (such as George Clooney, Rihanna or Barack Obama).

19. Sardinia produces fine red coral jewelry

Red coral has been used for thousand of years to make fine jewelry, such as necklace and earrings.

It’s found in great quantities in Sardinia, in the underwater caves of Alghero, also known as the Coral Riviera.

20. Myrtle grows in large quantities on the island

While not as precious as coral, you can also find plenty of myrtle in Sardinia.

The locals mainly used the myrtle to make a liqueur, known as mirto. Mirto is a traditional drink from Sardinia, and it can be found in 2 varieties: mirto rosso, made with the black berries and mirto bianco, made with the white berries.

21. A local delicacy is the Casu Marzu, a rotten cheese with live maggots

Another cool fact about food, though not as inviting as the mirto liquor.

Casu Marzu is a traditional dish from Sardinia, and it’s a cheese made from sheep milk.

The specificity of this cheese is that it’s made from a normal cheese (Pecorino), then cut open and left outside for a few weeks to attract flies. The flies lay their eggs in the cheese, and after a while the maggots hatch and begin to eat the cheese.

Casu Marzu cheese from Sardinia by Shardan / CC BY-SA

The cheese needs to be eaten with the live maggots inside, and while it may seem atrocious, it’s actually a very sought-after delicacy in Sardinia, as it’s been banned by E.U. health regulations and needs to be bought on the black market.  

Oh, and it’s also considered as a strong aphrodisiac. Just so you know.

22. There are more than 200 beaches on the island

With a 1,850 km long coastline (1,150 miles), you can expect to find plenty of beaches in Sardinia.

In fact, there are more than 200 beaches on the island, including its fair share of golden sand beaches.

Definitely a top contender to the Cinque Terre beaches or Amalfi Coast beaches!

23. Lake Omodeo is the 9th biggest lake in Italy

Lake Omodeo is actually an artificial lake; it was built in 1924, by building a dam on the Tirso River.

When it was built, it was one of the largest reservoirs in Europe, though it has now been outranked by many lakes.

The total surface of the lake is 29 km² (11 square miles), which makes it the 9th biggest lake in Italy.

24. There are almost 2 sheeps for every 1 person in Sardinia

In Sardinia, there are around 1.6 million people, and around 2.7 million sheep.

This is almost 2 sheeps for each Sard!

25. A hill in Sardinia gave its name to the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires

Yes, no kidding!

Here’s the story:

The name Buenos Aires comes from a hill next to Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia. The hill was named Bonaria, meaning Fair Winds, because on the hill you couldn’t smell the bad smell of the city below. On the hill was built an abbey, to the glory of Virgin Mary.

Later, when Pedro de Mendoza founded Buenos Aires in Argentina, he chose the name Santa María del Buen Aire, in reference to the Virgin of Buen Aire in Sardinia.

 
 26. Malaria was plaguing the island until 1946

This is a little known fact about Sardinia, as most people think of it as a beautiful island.

But what is less known is that the island was plagued by malaria, up until 1946.

There were plenty of swamps on the island, the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Sardinia is known to have been affected by malaria all the way back to the Romans, in the 3rd century BC.

In recent years, a massive project called the Rockefeller Foundation Sardinian Project was carried out to spray tons of chemicals all over the island, which completely wiped out malaria.

27. There are more than 7,000 Nuraghi on the island, stone towers built 3,000 years ago

This is one of the Sardinia history facts, as indeed Sardinia has a rich history.

The Nuraghi are stone towers built by the Nuragic civilization, all the way back to 1,800 BC, more than 3,000 years ago. Today there are more than 7,000 nuraghi all over Sardinia.

The most famous nuraghe is the Nuraghe of Barumini, which was listed as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1997.

A Nuraghe in Sardinia

28. The James Bond Movie “Agent 007 The Spy Who Loved Me” was filmed in Sardinia

The 10th James Bond Movie, The Spy Who Loved Me, was filmed in Sardinia.

The most famous scene is probably when James Bond drives out of the sea in his submersible Lotus Esprit; this was filmed on the Romazzino beach, on the Costa Smeralda.

James Bond in his Lotus Esprit in Sardinia

29. Sardinia is believed by many to be the Lost City of Atlantis

To this day, no one really knows what happened to Atlantis, the wealthy city described by Plato, philosopher from Ancient Greece.

But recent work by scientists shows that the island of Sardinia might be the lost city of Atlantis, through the careful examination of ancient texts from Aristotle and Herodotus, and the study of ancient history. 

30. Sardines are named after Sardinia

And finally, the last one of our 30 Sardinia facts.

The name “sardine”, which refers to a small oily fish, appeared in the English language around the 15th century. It comes from the island of Sardinia, where in the past there was plenty of sardines to be found in the sea.

Nowadays, the island is not particularly famous for sardines, nor is this small fish used in traditional food.

So there you have them, the 30 interesting facts about Sardinia Italy!

If you want to learn more about the region, keep reading for some general facts and info. 

General Sardinia Italy Facts

You’ll find below a few general Sardinia Italy facts, to learn more about this Italian region:

• Name: Sardinia | Sardegna | Sardigna
• Full Name: Regione Autonoma della Sardegna (Autonomous Region of Sardinia)
• Capital: Cagliari
• Land area: 24,090 km² / 9,300 square miles
• Population: 1,651,793
• Name of inhabitants: Sardinian | Sard
• Website: Sardegna Turismo

Where is Sardinia? Sardinia on a Map

Sardinia is a region outside of Italy’s mainland; it’s an island, located in the Mediterranean Sea, right below Corsica.

Here you can see it on the map, to have a better understanding of where it is in Italy:

The Provinces of Sardinia

Sardinia is divided in provinces: there are 4 provinces, and one Metropolitan City.

The provinces of Sardinia on a map

Here there are, ranked from most populated to least populated:

1. Province of Sassari
2. Metropolitan City of Cagliari
3. Province of South Sardinia
4. Province of Nuoro
5. Province of Oristano

Sardinia Flag

Angelus / CC BY-SA

More Facts!

Do you want even more facts about Italy?

Check out the following posts:

• Rome facts
• Naples facts
• Verona facts

Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there is A LOT of them.

The Full List of 30 Sardinia Facts

1. Sardinia is the 2nd largest island in the Mediterranean Sea
2. It’s the 3rd largest region in Italy
3. The island has an incredible life expectancy
4. All of the roads are 100% free
5. 25% of the island is Protected Area
6. The highest mountain in Sardina is Punta La Marmora at 1,834m (6,017 feet)
7. There’s an island full of wild albino donkeys
8. The old name of Sardinia was Ichnusa
9. It once had the smallest kingdom in the world: Tavolara
10. More than 300 unique species of plants are found only in Sardinia
11. Sardinia is home to 54 different species of spiders
12. The Femmina Accabadora was the bringer of death – but good death
13. It has some of the biggest sand dunes in Europe, the dunes of Piscinas
14. There are over 300 caves in Sardinia
15. Su Gorropu is one of the deepest canyons in Europe
16. Sardinia has very rich wildlife, with 60 Wildlife Reserves
17. The region is a heavy producer of cork
18. La Costa Smeralda is one of the most expensive coasts in the world
19. Sardinia produces fine red coral jewelry
20. Myrtle grows in large quantities on the island
21. A local delicacy is the Casu Marzu, a rotten cheese with live maggots
22. There are more than 200 beaches on the island
23. Lake Omodeo is the 9th biggest lake in Italy
24. There are almost 2 sheeps for every 1 person in Sardinia
25. A hill in Sardinia gave its name to the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires
26. Malaria was plaguing the island until 1946
27. There are more than 7,000 Nuraghi on the island, stone towers built 3,000 years ago
28. The James Bond Movie “Agent 007 The Spy Who Loved Me” was filmed in Sardinia
29. Sardinia is believed by many to be the Lost City of Atlantis
30. Sardines are named after Sardinia

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