Casa Spighia 3

One hardly needs any other reasons to visit Sardinia. Its beaches, people, climate, culture and beauty alone put at the top of many people's bucket lists. However, the beautiful coastal town of Castelsardo, in particular, is known for its charming streets, distinctive skyline and picturesque surroundings which are characterised by dramatic rock formations. One of the most interesting of these rock formations actually takes the shape of an elephant. Perched by the side of the road just outside the town, the Roccia dell'Elefante, or Elephant Rock, is a surprising little oddity that adds to the character of the town and adds to the heaped pile of reasons to visit. Just find a holiday rental in Sardinia and spend a day exploring this charming town and its unique surroundings.

Sassari is Sardinia's sprawling second city; a cultured, bustling university town that can seem a little drab or scruffy at first but which is home to some spectacular surprises.

Once you navigate through the areas of urban sprawl with less personality, you'll find lovely spots to eat and drink, galleries and stores you'll find nowhere else and, at the centre, a historic Old Town that charms.

Medieval alleys, busy piazzas that are alive with the sound of daily life, stunning churches and grand palazzi all await. Once you have found a vacation rental in Sardinia and are planning your itinerary for your trip, be sure to include a visit to Sassari.

The picturesque city of Sassari is the second largest in Sardinia and is home to a wonderful collection of art, culture and historical archives. Beautiful palaces and magnificent old monuments adorn the city, many of which were designed and built faithfully in a neoclassical style. Take memorable photos of the beautiful Fountain of the Rosello, the Piazza d’Italia and Teatro Civico which are three such monuments that were designed this way in Sassari city.

Stay at a stunning vacation villa rental in Sorso, less than ten kilometres from Sassari city which offer fabulous views of the sea! Start the day with a walk up to Monte d’Accoddi which is a prehistoric tourist site above Sassari with an ancient step pyramid design leading up to it. Learn about its history and marvel at the advanced architectural knowledge of the ancient civilisation who built it!

Discover the intriguing village of Aggius on the island and region of Sardinia. Full of well-preserved ancient houses built from locally excavated granite stone, Aggius looks like a mystical place from a fairy-tale! Built in a traditional local folk architectural style, Aggius has truly earned its award of an Orange Flag sites in 2005.

This quaint little town is home to some fine craft making industries that helped build its economy during the Middle Ages, right up to the modern day.

The ancient arts of hand loom carpet making and weaving are practised religiously here and have produced some incredibly beautiful pieces that tourist will enjoy gazing upon. Book yourself a fabulous stay at a holiday villa in Sardinia where you can explore all the treasures of this scenic island!

Lots of places the world over have carnival celebrations and Italy has plentiful options when it comes to wanting to enjoy this crazy annual party. However, if you find a vacation rental in Sardinia you will find that the island's most vibrant carnival celebration might just be the only one in the country to be seen at on Shrove Tuesday.

Taking place in the town of Tempio Pausania over the course of several days around Shrove Tuesday, the carnival celebrations in the town date back to around 800AD and are deeply rooted in local history and tradition. It is an especially colourful iteration of the festival, due to the incredible parade and floats that were first conceived and added around 60 years ago. Locals eagerly await and participate in the event, taking over the whole town and flooding the streets with people in incredible costumes and elaborate masks, music, sound, and excitement.

There is no shortage of beautiful beaches in Italy and while we have compiled lists of some of our picks for the best among them before, we are always discovering new beaches that take our breath away and set the bar once more. Among these is a beach in Sardinia that really is an extraordinarily lovely place: La Pelosa.

Located 2km from Stintino, a small natural oasis and village on the north-west coast of Sardinia, this beach is the island's most famous stretch of the coast.

From May to September it is in high demand and there is good reason. It is an incredible paradise where calm turquoise waters meet soft powder-white sands and there is plenty to see and do in the area. You can go kayaking, snorkeling, on boat excursions to the Asinara Islands (Donkey Islands), pedal-boating, hiking and much more besides.