Culture

Best place to drink Cannonau:

Jerzu Antichi Poderi

Locally produced tipples are in abundance in Sardinia – you’re likely to try mirto (a liqueur made from myrtle) more than once – but if it’s a good, robust red you crave to go with the ubiquitous meat dishes on offer, you’ll almost certainly love Cannonau, with its ruby red colour and berry overtones. The grape is grown all over the island but for the best quality, head to the Ogliastra region (about 95km from Alghero) where you’ll find Jerzu Antichi Poderi, a cellar renowned for its export-quality Cannonau. Established in 1950, the name was changed from Cantina Sociale Jerzu (Jerzu Winery Company) to Antichi Poderi di Jerzu (Old Jerzu Farms) to draw attention to the producers’ links to tradition. To sample the best that the region has to offer, take home a bottle of Cannonau Josto Miglior – and you’ll still get change from a €20 note.

Where: Jerzu Antichi Poderi, Via Umberto I, n°1, 08044 Jerzu (OG). Tel: +39 (0)782 70028

Website: www.jerzuantichipoderi.it/index.htm

Best place to buy coral:

Gioielli Grazia Giangrandi

Alghero is well known for its vibrant coral (so it’s a great place to give scuba diving a try), but as is often the case with ‘local specialties’, everyone jumps on the bandwagon and it’s hard to sort the chaff from the wheat. If it’s just a bit of souvenir coral jewellery you’re after, fine – stop by any of the touristy shops and pick up something cheap and cheerful. But if you want a piece of jewellery from a place that is to coral what Tiffany’s is to diamonds, make a beeline for Gioielli Grazia Giangrandi, where dazzling creations, incorporating other embellishments like pearls and precious stones, await. Deep red coral, which is so highly prized as to be nicknamed ‘red gold’ and is bound up with myth and fable, features in many of the creations to be ooohed over in this shop.

Where: Gioielli Grazia Giangrandi, Via Roma 45, 07041 Alghero (SS). Tel: +39 (0)79 978900

Website: www.gioielligraziagiangrandi.it/index.html

Best place to pop your cork:

Tempio Pausania

It's not as tasty as many of the region’s foodie specialties, nor as beautiful as the coral, but cork production forms a large part of Sardinia’s history, culture and economy. If you’re interested to see how that stopper standing between you and your first sup of wine came into being, head to Tempio Pausania, set at the foot of Limbara Mountain about 60km from Costa Smeralda. Picturesquely set within a cork-oak wood, the village offers plenty of opportunity to pick up handicrafts and souvenirs fashioned from the substance, although stoppers and floor coverings are also produced. Arte Sughero is one of only about 100 companies in Sardinia producing cork, which stays outside for at least 12 months after being stripped from the trees before being taken into the factories for cutting; the area is also well known for its production of granite, which is extracted from the caves of the area. One word of warning: all of this may spark an irrepressible itch to get home and renovate your kitchen, which might considerably hike up the ‘incidentals’ column on your holiday budget spreadsheet.

Where: Arte Sughero, Via Tempio, 19,07023 Calangianus, tel: +39 079660505

Best train journey:

Il Trenino Verde

Sardinia’s fabulous coastline is a major vacationers’ draw with good reason, but the varied inland has loads to recommend it too. The best way to see it? By climbing on board Il Trenino Verde (little Green Train) which, with a choice of three narrow gauge routes, offers an opportunity to see some of the remotest parts of the island, taking in ancient ruins, pristine forest and tranquil lakes. The tracks were laid in 1888 for the benefit of farmers and shepherds and, travelling like this, it’s almost possible to believe that you’ve taken a step back to those times: this is as far from the gloss of the Costa Smeralda as you can imagine – shepherds tend flocks for the production of milk to make the local pecorino, sleepy vineyards produce small quantities of wine for local consumption and you might even see some of the last wild horses in Europe.

Where: Tel: +39 070 580 246

Website: www.Treninoverde.com

Beaches

Best surf:

Porto Ferro

Surrounded by Spanish watchtowers and dense pine forest, Porto Ferro is a red-sand beach located about 25km from Alghero – and it’s about as far from the glitzy groomed perfection of the Costa Smeralda as you might be able to imagine. Strong winds and one of the highest annual average wave patterns for Sardinia makes this a good bet to flex your surfing muscles, perhaps even more so if kitesurfing is your thing. It’s not a beginner’s beach, by any means, but different levels of ability are catered for – just don’t get too cocky or you might alienate yourself from the locals. And if you don’t catch many waves one day and object to being outdone by nature, you can check in at the campsite and come back tomorrow on the quest for your perfect set.

Where: Porto Ferro beach, about 26km north-west of Alghero, near Lake Baratz

Fun

Best funfair:

Alghero marina

What’s a beach holiday without a dodgem or two – and if you’ve got kids in tow, chances are that they won’t see the appeal of lying on the beach for hours on end with nothing but a copy of Vogue or AutoTrader for company and will need to (sigh) be on the move. During the summer months, a funfair adds to the general hubbub of the marina in Alghero, with all of the usual suspects like carousels and games that test your skill at throwing or shooting in return for OTT stuffed toys. There is a handful of bigger, adrenaline-inducing ride for the bigger kids, who might find the endless prancing of roundabout horses too lame for words and, just a short walk away, a mini karting track. Top tip? Forget the game where you have to knock down a tower of tin cans – they’re not going to budge, no matter what you do.

Where: Marina di S. Elmo S.r.l., Prolungamento Banchina Sanità, Porto di Alghero. Tel: +39 (0)799 80829

Trivia

Best trivia:

As far as local delicacies go, you may not be all that eager to try Casu Marzu (rotten cheese) – an Italian sheep’s milk variety full of maggots. Larvae are introduced to the cheese to promote the fermentation process to the point that the fats decompose to (supposedly) delicious ooziness. Oddly enough, it’s illegal in Sardinia, despite being a specialty of the island, but mountain shepherds produce it for the black market where it sells for roughly twice as much as pecorino.